Kizito's legacy still prevails

CELEBRATING LIFE 

Francis Drake Kizito, a veteran city trader who lived at Wampeewo-Luteete (Wakiso district), had a unique understanding of human life and society.

He believed in hard work as the sure means of achieving family and societal self-reliance.

He also believed in responsible parenting as a key-factor in the promotion of a stable and progressive family institution.

Owing to his deep assimilation of the family as the basis of ecclesial and societal stability and development, Kizito always took keen interest in the moral and intellectual development of his children.

He taught his children human values such as honesty, respect, integrity and hard work.

Kizito's responsible fatherliness was clearly highlighted by his entrepreneurial son, Frank Dennis Guweddeko, the founding CEO of Imperial Paints Company and national coordinator of the paint manufacturers.

"Daddy was a workaholic. He ensured that we his children assimilate the principles of hard work and self-reliance. He is actually the one who mentored me into business entrepreneurship, when I was still at a very tender age.

"He would make me work with him at his garments shop in Kampala during my school holidays, in the 1980s.

He always put it to me to work hard before giving me pocket money and the other necessities I needed at school.

This helped me to understand that in life there are no free things; that a person has to work, to be able to get the good things they need in life.

"Daddy was a lovely parent, very strict on discipline. If we played mischief, he would give us simple but effective punishments.

Interestingly, he would not beat us or shout at us. He would instead deny us our childhood privileges.

For example, he would make us go without a meal. He would also send us back to school without pocket money, sugar, or new clothes.

"He would also strip us of our right to use the family car and instead put us on a bus! By the way, he raised us as a single parent, following the death of our mum Flavia Diana Kizito, in 1981.

As a result of his responsible parenthood, our family produced reputable professionals.

We now have in our family lawyers, teachers, businesspeople, pastors, farmers and industrialists."

Guweddeko later marveled at his dad's religious disposition.

"He was a God-fearing man. His commitment to God and the Church was enormous.

He always gave moral and financial support to the ministers of the Church.

He was the Chairman of Fathers Union at St. Noah's Church of Uganda Wampeewo, his local church.

He was also the patron of the church's affiliate choir. Dad loved to sing the hymn Tukutendereza Yesu (We praise you Jesus), the anthem of the East African Revival Movement, through which he always demonstrated his salvation and devotion to God."

Guweddeko finally explained how his dad constructed his grave, ten years before his death.

"He surprised many people when he constructed a posh grave for himself.

He actually bought from me the paint that beautified it. He told us he had taken that option to show us that he was well-prepared for life after death.

"Shortly after, he constructed other graves besides his grave; one for me and one for my sister Dorothy. When we asked him why he had decided to do so, he told us he wanted to die with the assurance that my sister Dorothy and I would be close to him, in body and in soul."

It is now 14 years since the passing on of Francis Drake Kizito.

His legacy of Christian devotion and hard work nonetheless continues to be felt through the entrepreneurial undertakings and examples of his son Frank Dennis Guweddeko, the founding CEO of Imperial Paints.

Francis Drake Kizito

From March 7, 1943 to September 18, 2006