The profound experience of mortality evokes an overwhelming sense of sorrow within numerous individuals, compelling them to manifest their anguish through different means. In the wake of the passing of a loved one, people exhibit a diverse array of emotional responses, encompassing a spectrum that spans from tearful sorrow to profound grief. Some people opt to seclude themselves, seeking solace within the depths of their own introspective realms as they grapple with the void that remains.
Dealing with the death of a loved one is difficult enough without having to cope with people celebrating their demise, but in recent times, some Ugandans, particularly those in the opposition, have cheered and celebrated the deaths of some prominent persons.
In African culture, when a death was announced, society grieved together; it was a loss to the whole community. However, with the current trend in politics, people have lost the humane part and instead celebrate one’s death, leaving the grieving family in a lot of pain.
William Byarugaba, also known as Jaja NUP and the head of the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) Elders’ Wing, always cheered on social media when news came out about the death of a well-known person.
According to Maurice Kato, a close colleague of Jaja NUP, there is no renowned person’s death that he (Jaja NUP) would not celebrate.
“It is so sad that Jaja NUP celebrated the deaths of the late Gen. Tumwine, Gen. Lokech, and the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, among others, forgetting that death was knocking at his door as well,” Kato narrated.
However, when Jaja NUP died of cancer on the 18th of this month at Boston Medical Centre in the United States, no one celebrated his passing. Not the families of those he mocked in death, nor those he wished death upon.
Jaja NUP was a trader in Shawuliyako market, dealing in men’s suits, but later shifted to the Ggaggawala building. Before his death, he was living in Namugongo with his two children, who were on Statehouse sponsorship at St. Lawrence schools.
Jaja NUP started his political career as a National Resistance Movement (NRM) party member as a Chairman of an NRM media activist’s group.
He left the NRM after he was arrested for swindling over Shs 80million given to the activist group by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. It was after his return from prison that he joined NUP.
This incident ought to serve as a profound awakening for opposition members, emphasising the importance of consistently displaying elegance and refinement, even in the presence of dissenting viewpoints.
