Many people gathered at Namirembe Cathedral to be part of the requiem mass organized for the late John Luswata Mulumba who died on Friday after suffering from heart and kidney disease for quite some time.
The prayers were led by Fr. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalila of Namirembe. He sent his condolences to the family of Nelson Nkalubo Ssebugwawo. He also expressed concerns about people who misuse social media for selfish interests and for all sorts of evil deeds saying “It is too unfortunate that nowadays people misuse social media platforms. People abuse others, write fake comments, and spoil people’s personalities without anyone condemning the act. It poses so many questions when you read some of what people post on these platforms as to whether they think. Maybe that is why the government proposed that a tax be levied on the platforms.”
The ceremony was attended by many dignitaries including the Buganda princes, princesses, former Katikkiros of Buganda, Ministers from the central government, Members of Parliament, relatives, friends, Ministers from the Buganda government led by the Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga.
In his speech to the mourners, the Katikkiro of Buganda thanked the late for raising his children with good morals as this is seen from Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda. He said “The instability of 1966 left the children of Buganda orphans because the Kabaka and Nnabagereka were nowhere to be seen. The following years after 1966 meant that Buganda would not have a mother leading to the displacement of Kabaka’s children. This brought about the coming into existence of many behaviors and habits probably as a result of Buganda not having a mother who would take care of its children. Therefore, when we got a mother named Sylvia Nagginda, the world was waiting to see how she would take care of us. It is now evident that Mr. and Mrs. Luswata gave us a mother who knows how to nurture the children of Buganda."
The Katikkiro revealed that the family of Nnabagereka is significant in Buganda’s history. On this note that the Katikkiro thanked the family for the foundation it has given to the Buganda Kingdom adding “And so, I think it deserves for the Kabaka and Buganda Kingdom to operate in peace as it has been in the past. Nkalubo the grandfather of Mr. Luswata was a child of Buganda, Ssebugwawo was the Secretary-General of Buganda and is one of the people who fought for the independence of Uganda, and now Nnabagereka Nagginda a granddaughter is the Queen of Buganda. Her late father John Luswata and others like Dan Ssebugwawo have all served in the Kabaka’s Government with honesty for a very long time.”
On behalf of the children of the late, Nnabagereka Sylvia Nagginda praised the love their late father showed them until his last breath saying "I remember a lot of things about our late father but I can say a few among them. He loved joking very much, almost in everything he spoke there was an element of a joke. If he couldn't begin with a joke then he would end with one. He also liked to laugh. Even his photo in the book shows his smiling face. My siblings spoke about how he loved children, and yes, he loved children very much though every parent has to love their children."
While speaking on the illness that her late father suffered from, Nnabagereka asked the government to respond to the doctors' call to improve their remuneration, provision of incentives, and working conditions so that they can fulfill their responsibility for saving lives. "We have very good doctors but we need to provide for them and give them all the necessary support they need to facilitate them in their work. I previously engaged with the Executive Director of Uganda Heart Institute and some doctors and realized that yes, they have some challenges that they want the government to address. Therefore, we have very good doctors in our country and they can really work efficiently for as long as they get the support they require."
Dr. Isaac Senabulya who has been treating the late sensitized the mourners on the disadvantages of delay in carrying out tests for diseases because that is responsible for the severe complications that arise saying "because it is not painful, it is called a silent killer. Because the moment it starts to pain you, it is already in its advanced stage. Therefore, I call upon everyone that whenever you get an opportunity to go to hospital, endeavor to check your blood pressure. What brings about high blood pressure is that we engage in so many things, we gain much weight or even have obesity, we don’t walk enough, we have much salt, and we take so many drugs or have many steroids. For instance, when one gets flu, a person is given dexamethasone or prednisolone, they give a patient relief but they are poison in the sense that they increase one’s chances of suffering from heart disease. There are so many other diseases for example when the kidney gets a problem, the veins can have a health complication and excess fat. All in all, I call upon people to always carry out different tests.”
The widow to the late, Edith Namilimu Luswata, with whom they have spent about 48 years in marriage, spoke with deep sorrow because of the loss of her partner. She said “He has been loving when it comes to his children. He loved his siblings too, to the extent that he remains silent towards anyone who intends to blame one of his siblings. The late has been my friend, my father, we have been together in everything, we have been married for 48 years, and he has never fought or even slapped me.” The late Luswata will be buried tomorrow at his ancestral home in Nkumba Busiro.