Judge Kenneth Kakuru's mother dies aged 103

Roza Kanakubona, mother to Constitutional Court justice, Kenneth Kakuru, died at the age of 103.

According to her children, she was a hardworking woman who also had a positive attitude towards work, was prayerful, generous, clean, selfless and with an unshakable faith in her God.

While eulogizing his mother at the All Saints Cathedral in Nakasero yesterday, Justice Kakuru narrated how his mother would be the last to sleep and the first to wake up at 5 am every day.

He said that when his father, the late Eliakim Kamujanduzi, retired from priesthood in 1965, settling in Kakiika, Mbarara district, she immediately started gardening on a daily basis and within a year, she was supplying fresh food to Mbarara High School.

The children and the grandchildren described the deceased as one who was content with the little she had and preferred to leave a simple life.

Drawing from the outpouring of praise towards the person and the character of the deceased, the minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu noted that her lifestyle contributed greatly to her longevity.

Chris Baine and other grandchildren addressing the mourners during the funeral. Photo by Jimmy Outa

"A country has lost a great lady. To live up to 100 years is a clear testimony that you must be clean in your heart and body," he said.

He noted that the deceased's life is a clear example of how a chosen lifestyle can determine how long one lives.

He urged Ugandans to ditch habits like laziness and drunkenness and adopt positive attitudes towards life if they are to lead long productive lives.

Kanakubona, was born in 1918 in a family of four people. She studied at Bweranyangi church School and later Mbarara Girls school. Upon completion of her education, she became a teacher at Bweranyangi Girls School where she met her late husband, Kamujanduzi, who was a headteacher at the school.

Together, they had 12 children; nine boys and three girls. However, seven children have since died. Her husband also died in 1990.

She is survived by over a hundred descendants including grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

Speaking about his mother's faith, Justice Kakuru recounted a time when his mother was ill, could neither walk or stand, tests were carried out and doctors said her skeletal frame was old and they gave her a walking stick.

Being someone who had a strong faith in God, she did not take the diagnosis as gospel truth. She decided to pray for her own healing.

Kakuru said one night he had a voice speaking to his mother, telling her to stretch her arms, get up and jump. She obeyed and was immediately healed.  The next morning, she ditched the walking stick.

"My mother was a special print from God who was nominated for a mission," he said.

He noted that together with her husband, Kanakubona, worked hard for the church, moving from one place to another preaching the gospel while at the same time ensuring that they went to school.

He described the deceased as a principled and opinionated person who at a time when parents were arranging marriages for their children, defied her parents' choice and married Kamujanduzi.

He said she taught them to be content with the little they have, not to despise work and treat everyone as equal.

Mary Karooro Okurut, the minister in charge of general duties, Office of the Prime Minister, said because of the strong Christian values the Kamujanduzi family had, her father wished that one of his children marries into the family.

The funeral service was attended by top leaders from the Judiciary including retired Principal Judge, Yorokamu Bamwine and Deputy Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny-Dollo, lawyers, members of parliament and ministers.

Chris Baine, a grandson to the deceased described her as a person who loved unconditionally, never judged, generous, selfless and uncompromising.

"She knitted mats and whoever was getting married would get one. She dedicated her life to selflessness and compassion," he said.

Justice Owiny-Dollo, thanked the family for not abandoning their mother to care homes like it's done in the western world.

He said their action is an example of the need for children to reciprocate the love their parents give them at their young age.

The deceased will be buried at St. James cathedral, Ruhaaro on Friday.