Africa-Press – Uganda. The family of Aisha Nakiyemba, the mother of jailed former Allied Democratic forces (ADF) commander, Jamil Mukulu, say she died due to the stress of not seeing her son.
Ms Nakiyema, 84, died on Wednesday at Mulago National Referral Hospital after a long battle with diabetes and high blood pressure.
She was buried yesterday in Ntooke Village, Kayunga Sub-county in Kayunga District.
She was late last month first admitted to Kayunga Regional Referral Hospital before she was transferred to Kibuli Hospital. When her condition worsened, she was taken to Mulago hospital.
Hundreds of mourners attended the burial.
Ms Samalie Nanyanzi, a daughter of the deceased, said their mother died a bitter woman after making futile attempts to see her incarcerated son.
“Even on her deathbed at Mulago hospital, our mother was bitter and was worried on who would speak against her son’s mistreatment in prison, when she dies,” Ms Nanyanzi said.
Ms Nanyanzi added: “Whenever she thought about her jailed son, she would weep the whole day and when she received reports in 2020 that her son had died her blood pressure and sugar went up.”
She said although the prison authorities later dismissed the rumours of Mukulu’s death as false, Nakiyemba pleaded with President Museveni to allow her to see her son in prison so that she could confirm that he is still alive but her pleas were not honoured.
“This worsened her ailments since then and she never regained her normal health,” another family member said.
A family member, who preferred not to be named, said Nakiyemba made two attempts in 2020 to see her son, but was turned away at Luzira by prison authorities.
After being barred from seeing her son, she called a press conference at her home in 2020 during which she pleaded with Luzira prison authorities and President Museveni to see her son who was reportedly ill.
But Mr Frank Baine, the prisons spokesperson, however, dismissed claims by Mukulu’s family members that they barred Nakiyemba from seeing her son in prison.
“It was not about Mukulu’s family only. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, we have not been allowing people to visit prisoners,” Mr Baine said yesterday in a phone interview.
He added: “We can’t serve the interest of one person and kill prisoners. We have lost only five prisoners to Covid-19 because of this restriction.”
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