Weeraba Joseph Kabunga Ddumba- Munnabyamizannyo ate Omukubiriza w'aabakrisitaayo

Joseph Kabunga Ddumba omutuuze w'e Kabowa yafudde ku Lwokubiri nga 9 October nga busaasaana.

Omugenzi Joseph Kabunga Ddumba

Kabunga Ddumba abadde munnabyamizannyo eyagusambako mu Uganda Cranes ate nga y'abadde ku kakiiko k’empaka z’ebika bya Buganda. Yaliko Omukubiriza w’Abakristaayo e Kabowa wamu n’okukulembera ekibiina ky’abaami abafumbo ekya Fathers Union.

Bweyalondebwa ku kakiiko akatawulula emisango gy’emipiira gy’ebika bino byeyategeeza Bukedde 2013

“nze emipiira gy’Ebika nnali ngyagala kuba mu 1950, nnasambiranga mu ttiimu y’Ekika kyange eky’e Mbogo.

Omupiira nagutandikira mu ttiimu ya Kayunga eyatandikibwawo George Mukasa Nyanzi, nga mu ttiimu eno ne Kabaka Muteesa 11, mwe yazannyiranga. Lumu twali tuzannya ne ttimu ya Pepsi omuzannyi n’atema Muteesa n’alumizibwa ekyayisa obubi abawagizi.

Okuva olwo Muteesa teyaddamu kuzannya mupiira gwakuwakanirwa. Baasalawo tugendenga mu Lubiri gye tuba tusambira naye ng’akapiira ke twazannyanga naye kaali kaakunyumirwa.”

Ssekiwunga gets new breath of life as they break ground for new Church

The place Ssekiwunga in Busiro sounds as if it is located deeply in the villages yet it is just 12 miles from Kampala Capital City off Entebbe Road at the outskirts of Akright City and just a kilometer away from the Entebbe Express High way.

For sure this place used to be one of the remotest villages along Entebbe Road, thank God, with the coming into place of the Akright City Kakungulu, this place has got a new breath of life. A small but neat Anglican Church named St. Marks Church Ssekiwunga used to be located here in a very isolated place. It was actually in the midst of the bush with no nearby houses apart from a small brick house adjacent to the Church where the Lay Reader used to reside.

It used to be every Lay Reader’s nightmare to be posted to this place. One would think twice before accepting to be posted to such a place. First and foremost, there were a handful of Christians in this area. Secondly, a typical Sunday service would attract not more than five people. This meant that at the end of the month, the Lay Reader would never think of every getting his/her monthly payment in full.

All that is now history, ever since Herbert Muhumuza, mobilized his fellow Akright residents to start worshipping at this place, the place has changed for better. For now the place has changed, they have a state of the art master plan for the whole place and they have given themselves one year to complete a 700 seater church complex with a modern primary school and other developments on the 10 acres of land in this part of the Akright City.

On Friday 17th August 2018, the Bishop of Namirembe Diocese the Rt. Rev. Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira was hosted to this area to break the ground for the construction of the new Church.
In his sermon, Bishop Luwalira said that if the work survives on the foundation, each one will be rewarded. He said that he had seen the people of Ssekiwunga with all the guts of completing the construction in one year. He said that he had the faith that God the Master planner was going to put in place the plan and was going to accomplish it. He thanked the people of this area for knowing the signs of the season and also getting to know what they are supposed to do.

The Bishop said that God had called all of them to build a new Church building and he was sure the congregation would do like God had called them to do so. “None of us is called to be a spectator. We are all called to serve” he said amidst clapping and ululations.
He went on to say that God had called us to be faithful since faithfulness is one of the greatest attributes of our God. He further said that when God begins a good work, He will definitely accomplish it.
“God is the master planner, the master builder and has good plans for us” he said. He then asked the people of Ssekiwunga to consult God for the best plan, consult God for the resources and that God had called them to do monitoring, evaluation and supervision.
The Bishop also said that when people get to know Jesus, He also opens their wallets and they start contributing generously. He warned them that in Uganda today, people have become so much obsessed with love for “enjawulo”  “omuntu omuwa omulimu natandikirawo okukubaza” meaning that nowdays you give someone a job and he starts forging the way he can cheat you.
He later on broke the ground at the place where the construction of the Church is going to take place.
On his part, the Assistant Archdeacon of Entebbe Archdeaconry, Rev. Emmanuel Kenneth Ssewanyana thanked the people of Ssekiwunga for the speed at which they were carrying out construction in the area. He said that he had hope that the Church won’t take long to be accomplished.

On her part, the Government Chief Whip Hon. Ruth Nankabirwa thanked the bishop for sparing time to come and break the ground. She said that as Christians of Ssekiwunga, they were requesting for a very good Anglican primary school in the area which one of them would run on behalf of the Church to ensure that the church is sustainable. She contributed 100 bags of cement which will be delivered the following day.

The Head of Laity Mrs. Margaret Kawumi elaborated how this work would be accomplished in phases of 52 days each from the foundation, construction of walls, Roofing and furnishing the Church.
The MC of the day Alex Kamukama who is also the head of planning and development, spiced the function with the way he narrated how all this had been done.
The outgoing Head of Laity and also Chairman of LC, Tom Tenyigwa gave a history of how that Church was started in 1966 up to the present day.

I am running for my mother. #RotaryCancerRun2018

I am running for my Mother

By Hannington Sebuliba

In June, 2001 my mother Jane Christine Sebuliba  went to Masaka Hospital for a tooth extraction. After the tooth had been extracted, she started feeling throbbing pain in the wound and thought it would go away as time went by. This was not so as the pain continued for next few weeks. She later on went back for a checkup and was thinking that may be part of the tooth had been left in. The doctor found out that it had not been left in but the wound was taking longer to heal.

She started taking pain killers that would bring some relief to her but as soon as the effect of the pain killers had stopped, the pain would start all over again.  This was the pain she had to endure for close to a year. It was after sometime in May 2002 that she went to Byansi Medical Centre in Masaka and the doctors found out that the pain was becoming cancerous but, they referred her to Mulago Hospital for further management.

My late brother Kyewalabye Robert who was working with the Education department in Masaka District brought her to Mulago in June 2002 but the lines were so long that they couldn’t see the doctor that very day. He then called me and informed me about the whole story and that mummy was going to spend the night with us and that I would take her very early in the morning because the appointment was for 8:00am.

The following morning, we left home at 6:00am and boarded a taxi up to Mulago hospital. We went to the Oral/dental department and met Dr. Kamulegeya who checked maama and decided that we should have a biopsy to rule out or confirm the possibility of cancer. Mum could not afford to go for biopsy, she just told me that she would go back home and continue with the medicines she was taking. I pleaded to her but she couldn’t accept. This was after we had seen a number of people suffering from different forms of cancer. She said that at least for her, she was better than many of the people we had found both at the Cancer institute and at the Dental Department.
After she had gone back to Masaka, I talked to my boss Prof. Henry Kasozi, the Medical Director of Kadic Hospital in Bukoto where I was working as PR/Marketing Manager. He told me to bring maama to Kadic so that he talks to her and you never know she would accept to have biopsy carried out.  It took us another four month to convince her to come back to Kampala.

God was on our side, in that she accepted Professor Kasozi’s counsel together with the late Dr. Nkurukenda who carried out the biopsy and then confirmed that she had developed cancer of the toungue. It became very difficult for us to accept the outcomes and even breaking the news to mummy was very difficult. Everybody feared to break the news and they told me that since I was working in the hospital, I would be the one to break the news. I prayed to God for guidance and lucky enough when I told her, she accepted the news and said that all along she had believed that it was cancer. By this time she was not eating but only drinking and cancer had gone up to the throat.

This gave us a better way to start on the medication as we had been referred to Mulago Radiotherapy department  where she would undergo radiotherapy treatment  twice a week. I want to thank very much Dr. Kiguli, who welcomed us with two hands as I had been sent to him by both his friends Prof. Kasozi and Dr. Nkurukenda. My mother, my sister Sarah who was nursing her and I, would be given preferential treatment at Mulago for a whole year we had to seek treatment at the Radiotherapy machine. I must say that I was a bit lucky because Kadic Hospital surrendered one of their ambulances to help me take mum every time she needed treatment at Mulago.
On top of the radiotherapy sessions at Mulago, Hospice Africa located at Makindye, helped to offer her counseling and palliative treatment which included oral morphine that would bring a lot of relief to mum.

For close to a year and a half, while undergoing treatment, mum could not eat since the whole tongue had been affected by cancer and the throat too was being affected. Doctors had wanted to feed her through a tube but she refused it and would just use a straw to feed on milk and soup.
It was at this time that I came to know that cancer was a very dangerous disease because I would see that my mum had lost hope of living beyond her 60th birthday. She kept on telling us how that disease was more painful than labour pains and that she was looking forward to a day when God would call her home.

On Sunday 15th February 2004, she called all of us to go home and she told us whatever she had wanted us to know. All of us arrived home early and when she came out of her bedroom she, fell down in the corridor and said “eh! Ekigwo kino kitegeeza ki?” she asked literary translated as “eh! What does this falling mean?”  we all just laughed it off. She then sat in the sitting room and told us whatever she had wanted to tell us. She concluded by saying that she was too hungry and had accepted to be taken to Kitovu Hospital so that they fix a feeding tube in her throat. She told me to go to Church and thank the congregation for whatever they had done for her, which I did.

After lunch, we all parted ways and she was taken to Kitovu Hospital, but at 7:35pm, she breathed her last. And that’s how cancer consumed my lovely mum. Therefore, this year, I am running for my mother and the many people who are suffering from the deadly cancer. No more people should suffer from Cancer.
When Rotary Started these Cancer Runs, I vowed to always run so that so many people out there who are suffering from cancer are assisted. I will continue to run until I will run no more.

Naggalabi Buddo Kabaka Mutebi's Coronation site

By Hannington Sebuliba

Twenty five years ago, I was a student at Makerere University in my Second Year. As preperations for Kabaka Mutebi II were going on, I got my yashika camera and took a few pictures at Kabaka's Lake in Mengo near Ndeeba.

The traditional coronation site at Naggalabi Buddo

Kabaka's Lake in 1993, Kabaka was seated in a canoe waving to clan members

I also went to Naggalabi the coronation site to see the preparations going on. As a member of the Baganda Nkoba za Mbogo group in Makerere University, I got a chance to be one of the ushers that helped to welcome guests.

The natural throne made out of  roots at Naggalabi Buddo

It was a long vacation and I was living with my parents Venerable Enock and Jane Sebuliba at Buwere Divinity College, where my father was the Principal. On the eve of the coronation, I informed them that as an official at the coronation, I would be needed at the site at day break. They had no objection but to accompany me to Buwama town which is 3 km away.

Workers putting final touches on the  coronation platform

I boarded a taxi at 3:00am and left for Naggalabi Buddo. By 4:30am I was already at the site and you would think that it was already day break  as a multitude of  people were already at the site.  The sound of the drums and other instruments showed how much people were waiting for their Kabaka to ascend to the throne.

the 600 year old muwafu tree where coronation takes place

As dawn approached, a group of people led by Omutaka Ssemanobe of the Mamba Clan went to fight in a mock fight called olutalo olw'ebirumbirumbi. During this mock battle, Ssemanobe and Omutaka Nankere and his men fight with the Crown Prince's army at the gate near King's College Budo. The battle takes us back to the fight between Kabaka Bemba Musota and Kabaka Kintu. This battle was eventually won by Kintu and he started the current Buganda Dynasty. So on that day in 1993, Crown Prince Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II's army won the battle and ululations and jubilations started.

The platform where the Church Coronation took place

One unfortunate thing is that I did not move with my camera to capture some of the moments as it required accreditation from the Presidential Press Unit. Therefore, the photos of the coronation shown in here were not take by me. The only photos I took are those of the preperations.

a hut called Nakibuuka at Buddo

After the battle, the coronation functions started with each of the clan head performing his duty. I was amused to see Mugema (head of the Nkima clan) was a young man and knew what he was actually doing. The other person that amused me was a Reverend Father who was the Kalinda Mazzi. The functions were crowned by Omutaka Gabunga crowning the Kabaka with a tradition crown called engule ey'engugu.

Katikkiro Mayanja Nkangi hands over a spear to Kabaka

The moment of truth came when Katikkiro Jehoash Mayanja Nkangi hold Kabaka Muwenda Mutebi's right hand and showed it to the people saying "Ono ye Kabaka wammwe era Kabaka wange" meaning this is your King and also my King.  The Kabaka was fully dressed in backcloth, white tunic, and animal hides

Ululations, dancing and beating of the drums then followed after the Kabaka had sounded the Mujaguzo drums that are made up of so many drums among which are Kawulugumo, Namanyonyi and others. Later on a very strong man from the Mbogo clan carried the Kabaka on his shoulders and took him around as the Kabaka waved to his subjects. He was then taken to Bwanika and Buganda House.

Kabaka after the clan heads had performed rituals on him

Rt. Rev. Misaeri Kauma crowning the Kabaka

When he came out he was now clad in a black double breast blazer and a white kanzu (tunic). Then a Church service that was ecumenical in nature started led by the Bishop of Namirembe Rt. Rev. Misaeri Kauma and the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda the Most. Rev. Yona Okoth together with other Bishops of the Church of Uganda, the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church and Seventhday Adventist Church.

Each of the bishops performed a duty  and the Bishop of Namirembe Misaeri Kauma crowning the Kabaka. The Bishop of Masaka Catholic Diocese Rt. Rev. Adrian Kivumbi Ddungu gave a very moving homily. And finally the Achbishop of the Church of Uganda prayed  and gave a blessing to the Kabaka.

After the prayers the Legal team led by Owek. John Katende, Owek. Godfrey Lule and Owek. Charles  Peter Mayiga led the swearing in ceremony.

Rotary Club of Buloba's 3RD Presidential Installation and Charter Night

Nine miles along Mityana Road is suburban town of Bulaga Bulenga. The area is densely populated with most of the households sharing almost everything.

Just after the market on your right hand side as you drive towards Mityana is a huge signpost of Joggies Recreation Centre. Next to it is another signpost of the Rotary club of Buloba pointing at the direction of Joggies Recreation Centre which is the home of this Rotary club. 

Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende Installing President  Stephen Mukwaya 

It is at this place that the Rotary club of Buloba fellowships every Tuesday  evening. As you slope down you notice the neighboring households with signs of abject poverty. This is the right place for a community based Rotary club to fellowship in and thus help the communities around to see the impact of rotary if for instance they hold a rotary day by cleaning Bulaga township and even giving those people some public health talk. The impact would greatly be felt in the area.

Joggies Recreation centre

As you enter Joggies Recreation, the atmosphere changes completely as you see the beautiful gardens, well tended lawns and some semblance of paradise. As you walk through the walkways under tree canopies with artistic sculptures made by the proprietor Joseph Ssali Ssalongo who is also a member of the Rotary club of Buloba, you tend to forget what you saw outside the gate. Here you face nature as the birds sing in their melodious voices, you just thank God for the gift of nature.

Down in the valley is a made lake named Nalongo Lake. You are free to sit by the lake side and enjoy the breeze or you can pay some money to sail in a dugout canoe. The experience you'll get here is for you alone to tell a story after the visit. It is actually a place for one to have a retreat after a heavy day's work. That place is highly ideal for romantic outings. There are also cottages for those who want to spend nights outside the city.

3RD PESIDENTIAL INSTALLATION AND CHARTER NIGHT.

I HAD diverted a bit but my main purpose of this story was about the installation of the third president of the Rotary club of Buloba Stephen Mukwaya.

Unlike many installations held in hotel rooms, and gardens, this one was different and unique as it was held by the lakeside.

The atmosphere was romantic  and sound of the bakisimba drums gave it the true meaning of the community based rotary club. As the DJ of the day played music that reverberated from the good music system provided by Joggies you would think that you were somewhere in Miami near the beach.

Tents by the lake side

Like the time manager I am, I happened to arrive at the venue 30minutes before arrival time. Indefinitely found the organisers still making final touches. An hour later I decided to go and register my presence. I was ushered in by the outgoing president a senior Prisons officer in the Uganda Government Prisons Service. He is such a jolly person and thanked me for being the first guest to arrive.

As I read through the Buloba Rotarian Magazine, other guests started flocking in one by one. In the background you could listen to some soft music. I then overheard one of the organisers telling her fellow members that the guest of honour had artived an hour back but the place was still empty with very few guests. Another one chipped in saying that mist of the invited Rotarians were coming from another installation in Mityana and that might have been the cause of the delay.

Two hours later, a traditonal dancing troupe arrived and started performing for close to thirty minutes until they were called to go and usher in the guest of honour. At 6:30pm, the guest of honour Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende a Rotarian of the Rotary club of Kampala North together with his wife a mber of the Rotary club of Bukoto arrived and the function begun.

Traditional dancers that spiced up the ocassion

The MC of the day Rtn. Kaitarama of RC Makindye ensured that guests were not bored at all as he spiced the function with funny jokes.

IPP Samuel Mukasa

As the outgoing president made an account of his mission green year, people listened carefully and you could see on his face that he was satisified that he had actually accomplished a task given to him a year back. During this year, RC Buloba had been able to scoope a prestigious District 9211 Most Gender Balanced Rotary Club of the year 2017/18. "We have recruited 19 new Rotarians making our diversity both in classifications and gender more or less to balance.  I wish to recognize the overwhelming support by our AG Emmy Kwesiga.  He has been very patient and has guided me tremendously.  He has attended some of our club fellowships and retreats in the year and also been with us in the some Board meetings." he noted.

The Deputy Governor of Bank of Uganda, Dr Louis Kasekende, has urged Rotarians to equip youth with vocational skills in order to improve their incomes. He went on to say that almost 78% of Uganda’s population is below 30 years of age. About 90% of the youth are in the informal sector and, of that, 60% are in agriculture. “Failure to equip the youth, especially graduates, with skills,” Kasekende said, “the people who are financially stable  cannot enjoy their sleep if the unemployed and the underprivileged youth forcefully seek their share at night.”

He asked Rotarians to voluntarily commit themselves to serve and support the youth. He said the role of Rotary is

to partner with the Government to address the inequalities in societies and also to seek a shared prosperity. “Let us improve productivityby focusing on the welfare of Ugandans. Let us invest in health, education, skilling and mentoring the youth to become good entrepreneurs,” Kasekende advised.

He promised that as Bank of Uganda, they will be able to donate 3million shillings towards a project that will be geared at improving the livelihoods of the youths in Buloba area.

 The outgoing Past Assistant Governor Emmy Kwesiga congratulated Mission Green President Sam Mukasa and his board for pulling through the year and the very many great achievements recorded especially in membership growth, Foundation giving, Mission Green initiative and Public Relations through participation. "You ably exhibited your unwavering capacity as a great leader and you were indeed a super Mission green President." he said.

On his part, President Stephen Mukwaya thanked Dr. Kasekende for gracing the occassion and  promised to  focus on Increase on relevant Membership classifications minimum 10 members by the end of Rotary year.  Implore members to Increase TRF giving by at least $4000 by the end of Rotary Year .

He said that he has plans of ensuring that the club brings on board at least two Corporate Organizations (KS TV) and 1 Potential Local partnership in delivering services to disadvantaged communities. He thanked the  guest of Honor, Rtn. Dr. Louis Kasekende and other District and Country officials for gracing this occasion and sparing their precious time to be at the  3rd Installation of  the President of the Rotary Club of Buloba. 

He also thanked  Rotarians, Non- Rotarians who stood with  him  to raise $12000 to take his  daughter  Divine Grace Namukwaya to India for stem Cell therapy treatment. He said that the daughter was currently responding to medication well. 

President Stephen introducing his Board of Directors

He  then presented his cabinet of the Board of Directors for the Rotary Year 2018/19.

The function was well attended by a number of rotarians, it was sort of a mini district conference because almost all clubs in an around Kampala were represented. The District Governor Elect Xavier Ssentamu and other country officials attended in huge numbers.

After a sumptous meal, the rotarians led by the new president danced till the wee hours. This was an installation to remember.

Archbishop John Tucker Sentamu preaches at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral

It is not everyday that an Anglican Primate preaches at a Pentecostal Church. On Wednesday evening, the Lord Archbishop of York, the Most Rev. Dr. John Sentamu was the guest preacher at his young brother's Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral near Kampala in the ongoing 77 Days of Glory dubbed #77DOGS5.

Archbishop John Sentamu preaching at Rubaga Miracle Centre

Pastor Robert Kayanja the lead pastor of Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral under the Robert Kayanja Ministries and his wife Pastor Jessica Kayanja were wed by Archbishop Ssentamu in the 1990s at St. Paul's Cathedral Namirembe.  The Archbishop is not only a brother, but he is the heir to the father of the two preachers the late Rev. Walakira from Masooli north of Kampala.
Pastor Kayanja alaways refers to Archbishop Sentamu as the person who lent him his shoes, the ones he first wore in his lifetime, when he was going to be confirmed in the Anglican Church of Uganda as a full Christian.

Kayanja says it was Sentamu who opened the door to his salvation when he told him about Jesus. 

“He gave me a book with a Billy Graham and David Frost interview. I did not know Graham by then, but I later came to love him and to dedicate my heart to Jesus.”

On Wednesday, the Archbishop's message was  our place of the Holy Spirit and revival is at the cross of calvary"  after that powerful sermon, he made an alter call to salvation and deliverance from demonic oppression.

Archbishop John Sentamu praying for people who accepted Jesus Christ
 as their personal Lord and Saviour at Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral
 Revival dubbed 77DOGS5

These brothers are gifted in art of preaching the word of God. Those who knew Rev. Walakira say that he was also a great preacher of the word.

Pastor Robert Kayanja embraces his brother Archbishop John Sentamu
after he made a very powerful sermon at Rubaga Miracle Centre

Legend has it that in the early stages of the Church in Uganda, one of the greatest African Missionaries Rev. Canon Apollo Kivebulaaya,  who was working with evangelist Jeremiah Gyagenda, the grandfather to the Archbishop, happened to go to Maganjo Church of Uganda to preach. As he arrived at the Church, his shoes had been soaked in mud and a young boy  who was son to Gyagenda (David Walakira, the father of the Archbishop Sentamu and Pastor Kayanja) requested to assist wash the mud off his (Apollo Kivebulaaya) shoes which he accepted.

Rev. Canon Apollo Kivebulaaya

When the young boy returned the shoes before the Church service started, the cleric thanked him and said he had nothing to give him but only to pray for him a great blessing. It is said that Canon Apollo prayed and prophesied that Walakira would be a great preacher he and his household, which prophesy has come to pass and we are witnesses thereof. Archbishop John Tucker Sentamu, Pastor Robert Kayanja and Bishop David Makumbi of Reedeemed Church in Boston are products of this blessing.

Rotarians hold an interfaith funeral service for Sam Frobisher Owori at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

Rotarians hold an interfaith funeral service for Sam Frobisher Owori at Lugogo Indoor Stadium.

Speaker after speaker praised Sam Owori for his love and passion for service.
The Widow Rtn. Norah Owori eulogising her husband Sam Owori at Lugogo Indoor Stadium during the Interfaith celebration service.

Rtn. Norah Owori cleaning her husband's Portrait
as Rtn. Prof Charles Olweny answers a journalist's question

I don’t know what to say. You’ve really shown us that you loved Sam and you love us.
I have not come here to make a speech but I wanted to say thank you all for loving Sam.

The only thing I wanted to tell you is that Sam is gone but Rotary Must move on. Some of you are saying that now that Sam is dead, we shall not go to Toronto. You must go to Toronto. I must go to Toronto. Let’s increase on our numbers in Africa so that we have two Directors sitting on a Board. The light of Rotary must shine even more after Sam has long gone.
Thank you very much for coming those who traveled from far and near.

Uganda Police officers carry the casket containing remains of Sam Owori
at Lugogo MTN Arena after the Interfaith Service held on Wednesday morning

District Governor Ken DG Ken Mugisha Wycliff said that Rotarians had come from far and near to celebrate "Our own 'Nelson Mandela' of Rotary by the name of Sam Owori"

He pledged to continue doing Sam Owori's vision and ensure that it is achieved. "We are going to work together to achieve Sam's dream of seeing Africa become a zone and having more and more rotarians" he said.

DG Ken Mugisha and Vice President of Rotary International matching
out of the Arena after the Interfaith Service

DG Ken Mugisha Wycliff thanked the Government of Uganda for according Sam Owori an official send off. "The financial contribution given to us by government for Sam's funeral has never been given even to its officials" he said amidst applause from the mourners.

He called upon rotarians the world over to know that the journey for Sam Owor's vision had just begun and called upon them to walk together to achieve that vision. "Let's celebrate his vision through Action" he concluded.

Rev. Canon Ssentongo

Rev. Canon Grace Sentongo, a Past President of the Rotary Club of Kajjansi called upon rotarians to emulate Sam Owori whom he talked of as a very brilliant man.

Rotary Club of Kajjansi holds fellowship in honour of RIPE Sam F. Owori

This evening, Rotarians converged at Nican Resort Sseguku to eulogise a legend in Rotary Circles. The man who was to be #RotaryInternational President 2018/2019. Rtn. Sam Frobisher Owori.

It was an evening to celebrate a life well lived by a man who was so passionate about rotary.

Vigil fellowship at Rotary Club of Kajjansi 

At exactly 7:00pm, President Apollo Bakwate of the Rotary club of Kajjansi called the meeting to order. After the usual rituals, he called upon Past President Canon Grace Ssentongo to lead prayers and share the word of God.

Just before, he started his sermon, he called upon Rtn. Hannington Sebuliba to lead the Rotarians and visitors in a hymn "It is well with my soul". He played the song from a Yamaha keyboard using strings and you would hear Rotarians singing like heavenly angles. It was quite a moment to reflect on the words in that song. As they sang along you would believe that Sam was in their midst.

PP Canon Grace preaching

Candles were lit and Sam's portrait on foamboard was at the front of the fellowship venue, with his trademark smile. His life was cut short.

Canon Grace talked about Rtn. Sam as a man who lived a life of serving humanity not only in rotary but also his church at All Saints Cathedral Nakasero and Kisugu Church of Uganda. He said that two weeks back he had met Sam at Shanghai Hotel in Kampala. She said that he had invited him to attend his installation in Toronto Canada and said that he had told him that if he had no money he would give him a one way ticket and he looks fie the return. That was Sam the Rotarian.

He encouraged Rotarians to emulate Sam's life who had been elevated to higher positions but remained simple, calm and down to earth.

Many Rotarians young and old talked about him and what they remembered about him.

Sam Owori's life can be summarised as a life that was well lived in a simple and humble way.

We uphold Sam's family in God's hand to be their guide during this trying moment in their family.


Here are songs that were used during the vigil fellowship as we eulogised our fallen Rotary International President Elect Sam Frobisher Owori.

It is well with my soul

Peace Perfect Peace

What a friend we have in Jesus

T'is, so sweet to Trust in Jesus