Cheeye's requiem mass to be held at Mbuya Catholic Church

Relatives and friends of legendary investigative journalist Teddy Sseezi Cheeye have started gathering inside Our Lady of Africa Mbuya Catholic Church for his requiem mass.

Forum for Democratic Change stalwart Wafula Oguttu, who was one of Cheeye's confidants, told New Vision on Saturday that the mass will start at 11:00am.

"I lost a political, social and professional friend. I can't believe he was knocked dead by a speeding boda boda because he survived many things," the former Bukooli Central MP and leader of opposition in parliament, said.

The 60-year-old Cheeye, who leaves behind a widow and three children, will be laid to rest at his ancestral home in Luwero at 2:00pm tomorrow.

Before becoming economic director in the External Security Organisation, Cheeye was publisher and editor of Uganda Confidential, a news magazine.

With the tagline ‘The paper that splits the Atom', observers said he significantly changed Uganda's journalism in the early 90s by ruthlessly exposing corruption in government. With time, he had accumulated a battalion of enemies.

Cheeye was released from Luzira on March 3, 2017 after serving a 10-year jail sentence over embezzlement of funds (sh200m) meant for global fund activities.

He became a Born-Again Christian and said his publication would be based on deep spirituality and would provoke debate on the way forward for Uganda.

His contemporaries say he was preparing to publish the third edition of his revamped Uganda Confidential today (Saturday).