• Latest
Muhakanizi, Rukutana Lived And Perished Together As Brothers Or Fools

Muhakanizi, Rukutana Lived And Perished Together As Brothers Or Fools

April 14, 2023

Vivo Energy Uganda, UNOC partner to develop LPG storage hub in Kabalega Industrial Park

August 22, 2025
KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

August 22, 2025
VINAStech Advert

Sheema District Communications Officer’s Son Dies in Kajjansi Road Crash

August 22, 2025

Rubirizi Grapples With Alarming Increase in Suicide Cases

August 22, 2025
Rubirizi Grapples With Alarming Increase in Suicide Cases

Police Investigate Alleged Aggravated Defilement of 4-Year-Old Girl

August 22, 2025
Captain Mike Mukula Gains Momentum in NRM Vice Chair Race, Touts Experience and Development Record

Captain Mike Mukula Gains Momentum in NRM Vice Chair Race, Touts Experience and Development Record

August 21, 2025
Empowering Women Through Skills: AMDA Launches Soap and Vaseline Training Ahead of Annual Caravan

Empowering Women Through Skills: AMDA Launches Soap and Vaseline Training Ahead of Annual Caravan

August 21, 2025

Uganda Signs Migrant Transfer Deal with US Amid Rights Concerns

August 21, 2025
Lightning Kills Two Pupils in Sheema District

Five Killed by Lightning in Ntungamo

August 21, 2025

UPC Turns to Members to Secure Akena’s Presidential Nomination

August 20, 2025
Uganda Secures €270 Million Loan from Afreximbank Loan for Major Infrastructure Dev’t 

Uganda Secures €270 Million Loan from Afreximbank Loan for Major Infrastructure Dev’t 

August 20, 2025
ERA, UEDCL Address Power Shutdowns and Tariff Myths Amid Public Concerns

ERA, UEDCL Address Power Shutdowns and Tariff Myths Amid Public Concerns

August 20, 2025
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us
Friday, August 22, 2025
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • News

    Vivo Energy Uganda, UNOC partner to develop LPG storage hub in Kabalega Industrial Park

    KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

    KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

    Sheema District Communications Officer’s Son Dies in Kajjansi Road Crash

    Rubirizi Grapples With Alarming Increase in Suicide Cases

    Police Investigate Alleged Aggravated Defilement of 4-Year-Old Girl

    Workplace desperation fueling unsafe conditions, says ministry

    Workplace desperation fueling unsafe conditions, says ministry

    CAF Warns Fans Against Obscene and Politically Charged Jerseys at Namboole

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
  • News

    Vivo Energy Uganda, UNOC partner to develop LPG storage hub in Kabalega Industrial Park

    KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

    KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod

    Sheema District Communications Officer’s Son Dies in Kajjansi Road Crash

    Rubirizi Grapples With Alarming Increase in Suicide Cases

    Police Investigate Alleged Aggravated Defilement of 4-Year-Old Girl

    Workplace desperation fueling unsafe conditions, says ministry

    Workplace desperation fueling unsafe conditions, says ministry

    CAF Warns Fans Against Obscene and Politically Charged Jerseys at Namboole

    Trending Tags

  • Climate Change
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Business
  • Others
    • Education
    • Lifestyle
    • Religion
    • Opinions
No Result
View All Result
Parrots Media
No Result
View All Result
Home FEATURES OBITUARY

Muhakanizi, Rukutana Lived And Perished Together As Brothers Or Fools

Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu by Gilbert Akampa Kakurugu
April 14, 2023
in OBITUARY
0
Muhakanizi, Rukutana Lived And Perished Together As Brothers Or Fools
0
SHARES
1
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on X

Eulogy by Mwesigwa Rukutana

Sleep eluded me the whole night last night. I had experienced a funny feeling the whole of yesterday, thinking of our planned trip to Milan to see Keith and Janet. Efforts to reach him or Janet on phone, as I always did almost every morning, had failed for nearly three weeks. I had received news from Bob and Ben that he was in ICU, but steadily improving. We together booked a flight to Milan for the 17th April, hoping that by the time we arrive, he will be in position to talk to us.

READ ALSO

St Augustine Seminary Clarifies Fatal Thursday Accident Involving Parent, Student

Centenary Bank Staff Among Two Killed in Kasese Road Tragedy

 

Last evening, I failed to stay for long at Millennium as I always do. I felt uneasy, stressed, and all of a sudden, an urge to go home and sleep. My wife and I watched the 8:00pm news. She noticed that I was absent minded and asked me what was going on in my mind. Surprisingly, there was nothing I was thinking about or something I could place a finger on. My mind was just blank. I went to bed and soon caught a lousy, uneasy sleep.

 

Then an unusual bang on the door; angrily, I asked the house help why she was disturbing our sleep. In a shrill and timid voice, she told me that Rehema had called to ask me to call Ben Kavuya urgently “someone has died” she ended.

 

I dropped ‘dead’. I didn’t need any other explanation. It was Keith!!

 

Keith is not any other brother or friend to me. He is part of me. His demise goes away with a big portion of what Iam. Having known each other at Makerere in the early 80’s where he was a year ahead of me, we had discovered each other, through a mutual friend, late Yason Mpungye.

 

In the Ntungamo political turmoil of the Ruzindana Vs. Kamwesiga, Karazaarwe Vrs. Kacooboye, Karazaarwe Vrs. Buriiku, Rukutana Vrs. Kazoora divides, when myself and my brothers Bob Kabonero, Jim and Susan Muhwezi, the First Family and the NRM as a party, were strenuous protagonists, it was Keith and my friend Sudhir who, one evening that went to the wee hours of the morning, sat me down, at Speke Hotel, over bottles of Red Label mixed with hot water, to convince me to reconcile with my said brothers and fully join the NRM.

 

As fate would have it, when the reconciliation catapulted me into mainstream politics, I was to find myself in the Ministry of Finance as a Minister of State, where Keith was a senior official as Director Budget. Nothing cemented our brotherhood more than his intellectualism, outspokenness, firmnesses in thought and deed, and a crude sense of humor. Most people, including me at first, thought Keith was an arrogant, defiant man because of these qualities. Once he thought he was right, he could dare anyone.

 

In my thirty years of political life, Keith is the only Government official I ever saw, so many times, telling the President to his face; “Your Excellency, we cannot do that”! Or even interrupting him mid-speech!!

 

Yet, in Keith laid a humble, obedient, listening and advisable civil servant. As a Minister, I thought I was his boss. I always joked with him that I could dismiss him, to which he always retorted that he will live to see who would leave the Ministry before the other! When, after five years I was transferred to the Ministry of Labor, he was so sad. But the following morning, he called me so early in the morning and, with his characteristic laughter, asked me; “you fool, who of the two of us has left the Ministry of Finance first”? to which I retorted that I had voluntarily left them because I was tired of working with ‘stupid’ people.

 

Such were our daily witty and humorous greetings. One time in 2001, when I had just been appointed a Minister, he found me shivering on my desk with malaria. He asked what the problem was. I told him I had malaria. Surprisingly, the ‘fool’ burst out laughing at me. “Malaria, a Minister suffering from Malaria? That’s backwardness; malaria is like jiggers, a modern person should never contract malaria”!! Then he went on to educate me on how to sleep under a mosquito net and to make houses mosquitoe proof. To his credit, following his advice, I have not suffered from malaria since 2001!!

 

It’s unfortunate that the country has lost the three architects of the revival of our economy; Lates Chris Kassami, Emmanuel Mutebile, and now Keith Muhakanizi.

 

When I joined MOFPED in 2001, Uganda was classified as HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Country). We could not generate resources to run our recurrent, leave alone Development budgets. We majorly relied on foreign aid, loans and grants. All these accessed under strict, unfair, unconscionable, even dehumanizing conditionalities from the IMF, World Bank and Donor Countries. These three departed comrades, under the supervision of President Musseveni worked very hard on the reforms that have shaped and transformed this economy. I remember the sleeplessness and endless meetings at State House, in the Ministry Boardroom, in Washington and other capitals, putting our heads together defend our country’s actions so that we could convince the donors not to cut aid or to grant us further advances. I remember the debates while formulating and presenting to Parliament the various laws that encompass the legal regime that facilitated and supported the transformation of the economy. Kassami, Keith, Mutebile were always at the forefront.

 

For me personally, coming from a background alien to financial and economic management, I found the trio big assets in preparing me to handle my mandate. They all became my teachers, mentors and personal friends. Now, they are all gone, and God be praised!!

 

I will not conclude without narrating our last crude humor with Keith; when he was transferred from the office of PS/ST, to PS, OPM, of course I was no longer a Minister and he was always reminding me that I lost power. I took my revenge by calling him to tell him that he too had lost power. One time, he wrote a letter rebuking and warning a driver who had knocked a student’s case, or something of the sort. With Ben Kavuya, we called him and asked him how, a person who always wrote to the President of the World Bank and IMF, could stoop so low to write a long letter condemning a driver who had spilled mandaazi. We laughed so heartily about it. But his revenge never took long. I had written a letter to the Attorney General over a case Iam handling. The AG referred the letter to PS/ OPM for a response. Keith called me the following morning and said; “you fool, you said I had lost power; come and sign the letter yourself”

 

We laughed to tears

God makes His decisions. They are not appealable. He has his reasons. All we have to do is to obey and respect Him.

Keith, Rest in Peace my Brother, Friend, Mentor and Inspiration.

Related Posts

Centenary Bank Staff Among Two Killed in Kasese Road Tragedy
OBITUARY

St Augustine Seminary Clarifies Fatal Thursday Accident Involving Parent, Student

August 15, 2025
Centenary Bank Staff Among Two Killed in Kasese Road Tragedy
OBITUARY

Centenary Bank Staff Among Two Killed in Kasese Road Tragedy

August 15, 2025
OBITUARY

Former Cabinet Minister and Renowned Author Mary Karooro Okurut Dies at 70

August 12, 2025
Father Poisons Four Children, Three Dead, One in Critical Conditions
COMMUNITY REPORTS

Father Poisons Four Children, Three Dead, One in Critical Conditions

August 4, 2025
Man Fatally Stabbed by Brother Over Coffee
Business

Man Fatally Stabbed by Brother Over Coffee

July 31, 2025
Kibaale Man Killed Over Family Radio Set Sale
OBITUARY

Kibaale Man Killed Over Family Radio Set Sale

July 31, 2025
Next Post

Another Minister Arrested In Karamoja Iron Sheet Scam

POPULAR NEWS

Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

Catholic Priest Speaks Out Against Museveni and Son’s Leadership

February 16, 2025

“Life Is Scum”: Kabale University Student Leaves Suicide Note, Takes Own Life

July 25, 2025

Former IGP Okoth Ogola Dies

February 14, 2025

A Love Beyond Distance: A review of Leonard Kamugisha Akida’s poetic tribute on valentine’s day

February 14, 2025

CAF Warns Fans Against Obscene and Politically Charged Jerseys at Namboole

August 20, 2025

EDITOR'S PICK

Rukutaana bailed out of Kitalya prison.

Rukutaana bailed out of Kitalya prison.

September 15, 2020

Housemaid dies in brutal murder

July 12, 2022

Greater Nebbi best PLE stdent’s passes on.

July 18, 2021
Court Martial Drops Charges Against Gen Kayihura

Court Martial Drops Charges Against Gen Kayihura

August 30, 2023
VINAStech advert VINAStech advert VINAStech advert
ADVERTISEMENT

About

Parrots Media

A Public Relations and Media Services Company registered and licensed to operate in Uganda and the Great Lakes Region.

Follow us

Categories

  • Business
  • BUSINESS REPORTS
  • CLIMATE ACTION REPORTS
  • Climate Change
  • COMMUNITY REPORTS
  • Education
  • Entertainment
  • FEATURES
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • News
  • News
  • OBITUARY
  • Obituary
  • Opinions
  • Religion
  • RELIGION
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • TOURISM

Recent Updates

  • Vivo Energy Uganda, UNOC partner to develop LPG storage hub in Kabalega Industrial Park
  • KCCA halts Ham’s Nakivubo redevelopment works despite Museveni’s nod
  • Sheema District Communications Officer’s Son Dies in Kajjansi Road Crash
  • Rubirizi Grapples With Alarming Increase in Suicide Cases
August 2025
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Jul    
  • About Us
  • Internship
  • Contact Us

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

No Result
View All Result
  • Parrots Media
  • News
  • Business
  • Science and Technology
  • Sports and Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Others
    • Climate Change
    • Education
    • Religion
    • Opinions

© 2025 Parrots Media | Website Designed and Maintained by VINAStech

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

You cannot copy content of this page