My son succumbed to heart complications -Minister Mbayo

TRIBUTE

The Minister for the Presidency Esther Mbayo has revealed that her 26-year-old son Ian Mawanda succumbed to heart compilations.

Mbayo made the revelation at a funeral service at All Saints Ca thedral,  Nakasero on Monday. Several bigwigs from government including Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi and the clergy were in attendance.

Mbayo's husband Eng. George William Mbayo was also present at the funeral that lasted for about one hour.

"My son succumbed to heart complication according to the post-mortem report carried out by physicians at International Hospital in Kampala (IHK) and I believe so," Mbayo said.

Amidst sobs, Mbayo disclosed that the deceased's lower parts of the heart had expanded due to numerous body workouts he carried out at the gym, which caused his death. Mbayo said on the fateful evening, Mawanda returned from the gym and began complaining of backache, after he had been served with food.

"The expansion of the lower parts of the heart narrowed the veins that they could not pump the blood to the heart for normal circulation, where he breathed his last," Mbayo said. Mawanda was Mbayo's only child.

Mbayo  said burial is to take place tomorrow, at Kigulamo in Busalamu town council, Luuka district.

 Mbayo also revealed that his son was born prematurely at seven months and she struggled to raise him. "He has not only been my son but a true friend who always greeted me every morning. We used to crack jokes together and I am going to miss him very much," Mbayo said.

Mawanda held a Bachelor of Science in Software engineering from Makerere University and had since established information technology related ventures and has been working as a network software developer at Carbral Tech Ltd, in Kampala.

Mbayo said the late was a friend to presidential aspirant John  Katumba, who also mourned him.

Former Vice president, Dr. Wandira Kazibwe who is also the current presidential advisor on health and population comforted Mbayo. She said she too lost one of her twins, Kevin Babirye  who was about the same age  as Mawanda.

Kazibwe who is a trained surgeon said  such complication are common among  children who are  born premature,"

Kazibwe also warned the youth to desist from building body muscles in gyms saying, that building of the body muscles may enlarge the arteries, that pump the blood to the heart thus affecting blood circulation causing deaths.

Ssekandi who represented President Yoweri Museveni delivered sh20m condolence fees, to the bereaved family. "This is a very trying moment for the family, relatives, and friends, the country has been robbed of a prestigious treasure in Mawanda at the peak of his life, " Museveni's message said.

" I pray that God gives you the fortitude and courage to go through this moment of loss and sorrow. At this time, we can only find solace in the Christian affirmation that death is not the end," reads Museveni's message.

Ssekandi in his condolence message read by the minister for public service Mululi Mukasa said : " It is only God who can give  strength and courage to the parents of Mawanda.. The country and your family has lost an energetic young man, whose dream was to become a great ICT specialist," said  Ssekandi.

 The Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, Dr Stephen Kazimba Mugalu, in his sermon told the bereaved family and mourners that "God's thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are our ways His ways,  therefore    I call upon the parents to take courage because God's plans are different  from man's plans."

Quoting  Psalm 46 Kazimba said "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."




Who is Mawanda

Mawanda, who was born on August 27, 1994, graduated last year, from Makerere University with a degree in software engineering.