Tribute to loyalty

May 05, 2007

MANY things have been said and written about Noble Mayombo. He had a good brain, a good ear, a good speech, a good appearance, a good sense of humour and a good heart. He was a man for whom, as Gen. Aronda Nyakairima put it, “the sky was the limit”.

MANY things have been said and written about Noble Mayombo. He had a good brain, a good ear, a good speech, a good appearance, a good sense of humour and a good heart. He was a man for whom, as Gen. Aronda Nyakairima put it, “the sky was the limit”.

But his most important characteristic was loyalty. Mayombo was pathologically loyal. He was loyal to the President, to the National Resistance Movement, to the UPDF and to Uganda. He was loyal to his kingdom, his clan, his family and his numerous friends. He was loyal to the cause of freedom, development and African unity.

At times these interests would clash. At times friends or relatives would join the opposition, colleagues would betray him, or friendly nations would turn hostile and he would feel terribly let down. His most difficult moment was when in the 2001 presidential elections, he felt obliged to arrest his own brother who was campaigning for the FDC candidate.

But even when Okwiri Rabwoni went into exile in Scotland, Mayombo would continue to contact and assist him. Whenever he was in London, he would have his brother come over and the two would laugh, make up and share a bed.

Loyalty is not a weakness, it is a strength. Loyal people are people you can rely on, count on, build on. Loyal people will always make up, however much you disagree. With loyal people, you feel relaxed and at ease as you know they will never stab you in the back. They are extremely rare and extremely valuable.

Mayombo was a rare and unique human being. He was solid and dependable. As one of his friends said: “You could disagree with him, argue with him, fight with him but at the end of the day, he would always stick up for you.”

The numerous condolences from all over the country and the world, the praising speeches in Parliament, the moving eulogies at Kololo and the thousands of mourners who came – some all the way from Europe – to pay their last respects, they are all tribute to his one single most important virtue: loyalty.


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