By David Mafabi
April 4, 2004
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SIRONKO - The Uganda Peoples Congress has sharply criticised organisers at the burial of the late 2nd deputy premier and minister of foreign affairs, Mr James Wapakhabulo for failing to read their message of condolence. A member of the Presidential Policy Commission of UPC, Mr Ahmed Washaki who led the party delegation, told Sunday Monitor that the UPC condolence message could have been deliberately left out. �As UPC we are not happy because condolence messages from all missions, Movement government and Democratic Party were read and our message was not read,� said Washaki who doubles as the chairman LC-III Bungokho sub-county. Washaki alleges that he handed the condolence message to Mr David Wakikona, the MP for Manjiya county but that he did not hear any mention of it when the master of ceremony, Defence minister Amama Mbabazi read other messages. �On behalf of the UPC and my own behalf, I wish to express our heartfelt and sincere condolences to the family, Bamasaba and the people of Uganda for the tragic death of Hon. James Francis Wapakhabulo,� the message signed by the acting party chairman, Mr Henry Mayega reads in part. The message says the loss of Wapakhabulo is very grievous [sic] to UPC given his [Wapa�s] contribution to Uganda especially during the difficult period in the history of Uganda. The message reveals that the late Wapakhabulo was a UPC youth winger in the 1960s and that his contribution was visible and is still visible. The party also made a contribution of Shs 100, 000 towards the burial expenses. However Minister Mbabazi while reading messages at the burial made it categorically clear that not all messages would be read because of time. Some of the condolences messages read by the minister were from the presidents of Italy, Libya, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Korea, Sudan, China, Denmark, Sweden, Egypt, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, the Democratic Party (DP), SPLA leader John Garang and from Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi. Wapakhabulo who died on March 27 was laid to rest at his ancestral home at Mafudu in Sironko district on Friday. President Museveni attended the burial. |
� 2004 The Monitor Publications
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