Life and Works of Deceased Former Minister, Yona Kanyomozi

Veteran politician Yonasani Bankobeza Kanyomozi died on Sunday at Nakasero Hospital, members of his family confirmed.

Kanyomozi, 82, has previously served as Minister, Member of Parliament at the national and regional levels, activist, and technocrat.

He served as Minister of Cooperatives and Marketing and Bushenyi South Member of Parliament during the Obote II regime in the 1980s, Kajara County representative in the National Resistance Council (NRC) from 1989 to 1996, among other leadership roles.

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) stalwart, between 2001 and 2006, represented Uganda at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Besides his political life, Kanyomozi served as an economic advisor to the defunct Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) from 1966 to 1970, Director of Industrial Development Centre Uganda from 1970 to 1972, Assistant General Manager of the East African External Telecommunications Company from 1972 to 1977, Associate consultant at Price Waterhouse, among others.

In an interview with URN in December 2020, ahead of the 2021 general election, the veteran opposition politician said that he did not believe that opposition party NUP (National Unity Platform) led by Robert Kyagulanyi Bobo Wine, could wrestle power from the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).

He said NUP could achieve their objective only through popular uprising, a line he said would be at steep sacrifice and uncalled for, unacceptably high human cost.

The deceased was also passionate about rebuilding his party, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) , and in August 2017, he said that UPC had the potential to resurrect and build a strong and formidable force. This was at the party’s headquarters, Uganda House, where Maj Edward Rurangaranga, the former national chairman of the UPC, was being honoured.

Kanyomozi also wished for a UPC free of factions and differences.

Born in Kajara, Ankole, Kanyomozi attended Ntare School from where he pursued a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1966.

In 1969 he graduated with a Master of Science in Administrative Science from the Graduate Business Centre in London.

In separate media interviews, the late Kanyomozi expressed desire to be remembered as a man who was always concerned about ordinary people.