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SAD: Ex-first lady Sarah grieves in
London |
On the wall of her living room where mourners assembled, hung a massive
black-and-white picture of Idi Amin in full military decorations, reports
Geoffrey Kulubya in London.
�Dr Amin was a good man, a good
husband, a loving father and a great grand-father.�
With these
words Sarah Kyolaba Amin, 47, summarised the life of her late husband,
former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin Dada.
Sarah, Amin�s fifth wife,
was speaking to The New Vision at Kizza Business Consultants premises in
Forest Gate, East London on Sunday.
Clad in a black suit, white
blouse and black head gear, Sarah, who persistently called the late Amin
Doctor, said she was disturbed that the Government of Uganda objected to
Amin�s return home when he was critically ill.
�Politics aside,
Amin fought a lot for Ugandans and that should have been a very good
example for him to return home,� said the mother of four of Amin�s
children.
�Amin has the right to be buried in Uganda because he
was Ugandan,� she said. The sombre-faced former first lady said the whole
family was saddened by Amin�s death.
She said, �It�s really sad.
We hope that he will rest in peace. And we would like to thank the family,
friends and everybody concerned who have been comforting us during this
time of sadness. The children are saddened. I pray to God that He will
make us recover from this big loss soon.�
Sarah, who did not
attend Amin�s burial, said she learned of his death through her stepson
Aliga Amin who was at his father�s death bed.
�I didn�t attend the
burial because it was a very quick burial,� she said. Amin was buried the
same day he died in accordance with the Islamic law. She intends to travel
with her children to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, to visit Amin�s grave.
Sarah and Amin parted ways in 1983 and never saw each other again.
She first went to Germany before relocating to London 12 years ago. Amin
spotted her when she was only 16.
Several Ugandans living in
London joined Sarah to mourn Amin. Duwa prayers will be held today at
Sarah�s at Woodgreen, North London.
By Sunday evening, 356
sympathisers had signed a condolence book at Sarah�s residence.
A
handful including former Kampala Mayor Nasser Sebaggala spent Saturday
night with Sarah at a vigil. Sebaggala said by burying Amin in Saudi
Arabia, Uganda had lost the opportunity of attracting tourists to see
Amin�s grave. |
