Dad taught us to be strong - Aronda''s daughter

By Mary Karugaba

 

AFTER the death of Internal Affairs minister Gen. Aronda, many eulogized him as a gallant soldier, workaholic, humble and sociable depending on how he met and interacted with them.

 

But who can describe his life so well other than his wife Linda Aronda and their children Samuel and Samantha Aronda.

 

Aronda died last Saturday aboard an Emirates plane from South Korea to Dubai, while on official duty. Following a postmortem it was revealed that he had died of acute heart failure. He was laid to rest Sunday at his ancestral home in Rukungiri.

 

While his wife Linda described him as a loving and caring husband, his children knew him as an intelligent and invincible man.

 

In his message to the mourners, Samuel wrote:

 

"When I think of someone invincible, my dad is who comes to mind. For as long as I can remember, there's no single day he stayed in bed sick or just because he didn't have energy to get up.

 

My childhood was different from others; I was raised to appreciate that I was the son of a soldier and more to that a son, of a man doing great things for the country. I came to accept and understand that I couldn't always have dad around all the time, but when he was, we were his number one priority and he would in fact not want to let us out of sight.

 

He is in fact the reason I play and enjoy watching football. When I was younger, we would watch football whenever he was around.

 

I am now struggling with the concept that I won't see him again. That he won't talk to me about challenging myself be it in education or sports. Pushing my limits and constantly telling me I can do anything I set my mind to achieve.

 

We are not ready to let you go dad, and as we battle to accept that you are no longer with us, we take comfort in believing you are in a better place.

 

You showed us the importance of supporting family and of sharing what little we had for the good of all. As the man in the house now, I promise that your girls will be okay."

 

Samantha, described her father as an intelligent and easy to talk to. 

 

"As I battle to accept that you are no longer with us, I take comfort in the wonderful times I had as your little girl. When I was younger, when dad would come home, he would carry me and we would play all sorts of silly games.

 

We used to laugh and make jokes about Greensteads. What dad and I had was very special and I guess a father's love for a daughter is like no other.

 

Dad was very intelligent and easy to talk to. He taught me two things that come and go; those are time and opportunity. And that has stayed with me. It is because of this that I drive myself to work harder every day. Daddy, we will be ok. You taught us to be strong. To read and acquire as much knowledge as possible to have integrity and stand for what we believe.

 

I have come to believe that actions speak louder than words because even though dad rarely said I love you he always showed it and that was enough.

 

We promise that your legacy shall live on through our deeds and actions. I love you dad and always will. I will miss dearly daddy."​