Africa-Press – Uganda. It was a solemn mood at Entebbe Airport when the casket containing the body of Rhoda Kalema was delivered to the family on August 6.
The late Kalema died on Monday morning August 3 at Nairobi Hospital after a brief illness. Shortly after touching down, the body was received by the family, government officials, and officials from Buganda Kingdom, led by the deputy Katikkiro (prime minister), Wagwa Nsibirwa, who is also a family member.
Later on, the casket was handed over to the A-Plus funeral services for overnight further management.
To the family and the country, the death of Kalema is a big loss, especially looking back at her dedication and service to the nation.
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Deputy Katikkiro Wagwa Nsibirwa, who received the body on behalf of the family yesterday, told the press that all has been set to celebrate the life of Kalema, both at family and state level.
“We are here to receive the remains of the Honourable late Canon Rhoda, Nsibirwa Kalema.
As a family, we had to confirm that the remains, indeed, were for the late Honourable, and we did that. The Government of Uganda has offered an official burial, and they were here to support with the receipt, as you have seen, and the official ceremony has been done.
The process has been smooth. Everything has gone as planned this far, and we pray that the remaining parts of her journey will go as smoothly as it has been before,” he said.
Before the body was handed over to the A-Plus funeral service, Canon John Fred Kazibwe, the head teacher of Kings College Budo, where the late Kalema studied, prayed for the repose of her soul. He described the late Kalema as a woman of virtue, a true mother who stood firm in her faith and deeds.
“She has been a good advocate of girl child education. We remember her very recently, June 19, when she came to commission a reading room for girls so that girls also can compete favourably with boys. She was very happy. She told us that in 1980, there was a proposal to turn King’s College Budo back to a boys’ school, but she was one of those people who advocated for it to remain a mixed school.
We have been inviting her on Women’s Day in Budo, as long as I can remember, to talk to girls and to encourage them to be their best, and I think she has impressed many,” he said.
“The loss to the Budo community is big. Why I’m content is that she has lived a full life. She has done what she had to do. She has influenced those she had to influence. The challenge is upon us to push her wish forward and to encourage more ladies to be their best. I think she has done a good job, she has run a good race and let her get her word in glory,” Canon Kazibwe added.
Relatives speak out
Maria Kiwanuka, a former Finance minister and a niece of the late Kalema, spoke fondly of her.
“That is my father’s elder sister. They were very friendly with each other, and I was named after her. My aunt was always a source of inspiration to us, always on the move, always on the go, and she was empowerment before empowerment.
She worked with young juveniles delinquents as a probation officer, looking after them at the Ministry of Culture and Community Development where she later became a minister,” Ms Kiwanuka said. Ms Kiwanuka said the late Kalema would forever be cherished. Mr Willy Kalema, a grandchild of the late Kalema, said the death of his grandmother has robbed them of the love she gave them.
“Rhoda was my grandmother, very special to me, and she did so much for all of us, and she loved with all her heart, and we will miss her. She faced a lot of adversity, and she also had a lot of tragic losses in her life, but her faith in God helped her go through those difficult parts in her life, and she often talked about the importance of service to the country.
She believed in service. She was a patriot, she always believed things could be better. Until the day she died, she was an optimist. She had a big heart. So I’ll miss her stories. She had a great capacity to tell stories. I’ll miss her wise words of advice and her love. She had so much love. I’ll miss all of that,” he said.
Woman of virtue
She was our aunt, our mother, our grandmother. She never ever said she did not have time for the family, our family members.
She was always the first to remember birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and bereavements. She would always be there, even when she was wheelchair-bound. She would come pushing herself if there was no one to push her,– Maria Kiwanuka, a former Finance minister.
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