The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has condoled with the family of Patrick Masette Kuuya, a former minister in Dr Milton Obote 11 government.
“We received the sad news of the death of Hon. Patrick Masette Kuuya, who previously served as the Minister for Rehabilitation in the Obote II Government, Chairman of the National Council of Sports, and National Treasurer of the Uganda People’s Congress,” Among announced during Wednesday’s plenary.
“On behalf of the Legislature and on my own behalf, we condole with the family, the people of Bugisu and the UPC fraternity. May we observe a moment of silence in his honour.”
She said the loss of “our elders” poses a risk of losing a vital part of “our history” which largely remains un-written.
She added: “I, therefore, implore you to consider documenting a lot of your vital experiences and ideas for generations to come. Let us pass on knowledge and history through proper documentation.”
Kuuya died at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya on Tuesday.
He had been living in Kenya since the overthrow of the Obote 11. He was aged 85.
Obote’s son, Hon Jimmy Akena, told Uganda Radio Network (URN) that Kuuya was his uncle.
“I grew up with him as an uncle in Tanzania, he was then lecturing at the University of Dar es Salaam. Later when he returned to Uganda, he served as a treasurer to the party, and after the 1980 elections, he became the Minister for Rehabilitation,” said Akena in a brief interview with URN.
According to New Vision, Bugisu leaders have since appealed to the government to accord Kuuya an official state burial.