LAST WORDS: What Ssegirinya told his family before passing out

Kampala, (UG):- As Ugandans continue to mourn the untimely passing of Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya, details have emerged on his last words to the mother, family members and his aide where he urged them to focus on the welfare of his children and constituents.

Ssegirinya, 37, who was Thursday pronounced dead at Lubaga Hospital in Kampala, reportedly spoke to his relative five days ago before slipping into what they defined as a comma.

At his bedside at the hospital were his personal assistant Mr Alex Luwembo, his mother Justine Ssanyu Nakajumba, and other family members.

Recounting the last interaction he had with his principal, Mr Luwembo told Monitor that Ssegirinya had many concerns, but his love for his children and constituents dominated his final words.

One of his major requests, according to Luwembo, was for his manifesto, which had not been fully implemented, to be upheld by whoever would take over his parliamentary seat.

“I last spoke to Ssegirinya a week ago, before he became weak. He indicated he had the people of Kawempe North at heart. He mentioned his five-year manifesto, whose implementation he was unable to complete. He asked us to take it forward,” Luwembo told the local newspaper.

The deceased MP also reportedly expressed concern about how his children would manage their education, given that all his savings had been spent on his treatment.

Ssegirinya’s top priorities included the construction of a health centre in his constituency, sending underprivileged children to school, and providing start-up capital to struggling small businesses, particularly those owned by women in the area, among others.

Although Ssegirinya had established the hospital, along with two ambulances, the facility was shut in 2021 following his arrest, Luwembo says the equipment was also redistributed to other medical facilities as the hospital could not continue operating without sufficient funding.

At the time of his passing, Hon. Ssegirinya was under the dedicated care of the medical team at Lubaga Hospital, and despite all efforts to ensure his recovery, he passed away Thursday, 9th January 2025, at 12:10 pm, according to an official statement by the Hospital.

Formerly Lord Councillor for Kawmpe Division, Ssegirinya was elected to Parliament in 2021 but since then, he spent much of the time in and out of the hospital undergoing treatment after his health worsened upon release from Kigo prison.

The MP often said that the origin of his sickness started at the government prison facility where he and fellow MP Allan Ssewanyana (MaKindye West) were jailed for more than a year, over ‘trumped up’ murder charges in connection to deadly attacks that claimed over 20 lives in the Masaka Sub Region.

The two were released on bail in February 2023 but Ssegirinya has since then undergoing treatment in various facilities in Uganda, Kenya and the Netherlands.