By noon last Saturday, hundreds of invited guests had started flocking the lush green BreezeVille Park Gardens in Mukono, to attend the wedding of Gashegu Muramira and his longtime fiancée Iryn Mutesi.
Gashegu, a youthful politician born in Ttakajjunge village, Nama subcounty, is the Office of the National Chairman (0NC) Coordinator for Greater Mukono districts of Mukono, Kayunga, Buikwe and Buvuma.
A respected leader by both the youth and elders of his banyarwanda community in Uganda, and other communities, Muramira is also the current Mukono District NRM Youth League Chairman.
It was a heartwarming wedding full of pomp and glamour, yet accommodative of different categories of people, religion, political affiliations and tribes.
Muramira is born to a renowned former Educationist, M.G Haajje Gashegu who is fondly remembered in Uganda and Rwanda as a selfless philanthropist in all communities he lived in. His father actively participated in the liberation struggles of both Uganda and Rwanda, and is a former Headmaster of so many Ugandan old schools which include; Kitante Hill School, Bishop’s Senior School Mukono and Muntuyera High School – Kitunga among others.
Back to the wedding. The newly wedded couple had earlier taken their vows of marriage at Ttakajjunge Holy Trinity Church, a church where Gashegu’s deceased Grandfather Rev. Daniel Gashegu, a renowned Anglican evangelist, is a respected founder.
In his sermon, Rev. Godfrey Sebiina thanked Muramira for honouring his Grandfather’s church, and called on the couple to put God first in whatever they do, if they are to have an ever-lasting marriage.
At the reception, the couple was welcomed to their eagerly waiting guests by P-Square’s ‘Forever song’ released in 2011. The song got Muramira and his bride dancing majestically to the joy of hundreds of their guests.
The highlight performance of the night was from Afrigo band’s all time female musician Joanita Kawalya who performed her all time classics like, Jim Wange, Mundeke, and Wololo which got many of her loyal funs standing up to dance with her.
The guests were thereafter treated to a tasty buffet, with lots of drinks amid performances from a 40 member- Impundu Kinyarwanda traditional Troupe.
The couple’s guests had their meals with old school ballads like; ‘Night Shift’ by Commodores, an American soul group that ruled the airwaves in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Whitney Houston’s ‘I will always Love You’ timeless song, and another ‘I will always Love You’ song sang by Chris Walker, an American musician and producer, playing for them, which truly sealed the ceremony as an old school event. Zimbabwean musician Olive Mtukudzi’s Mai Varamba classic left the guests yearning for more of the old music.
The couple’s guests included people of all class. From Gashegu’s village folks, and village Boda-boda riders, and elders who raised him, to big name leaders like Hon. Diana Mutasingwa, the Minister of State in the Office of the Vice President, Col. Joseph Rutabana, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Steven Asiimwe, the Executive Director of the Private Sector Foundation of Uganda and Mzee Donati Kananura, the Chairman of the Banyarwanda community in Uganda. These were joined by a a high powered delegation from the Office of the National Chairman that represented the ONC Head – Hajjat Hadijah Namyalo.
Others in attendance included; Justice Allan Paul Nshimye, a Judge of the High Court, Hon. Fred Mukasa Mbidde, a Former legislator of the East African Legislative Assembly, Frank Gashumba, the Vice Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda, Hon. Fred Kayondo, the current Member of Parliament Mukono South, and Former Mukono South Member of Parliament and former Mukono Municipality Mayor Johnson Muyanja Senyonga.
The NRM Executive Mukono District was represented by the party’s district Vice Chairman Alhajji Haruna Semakula who donated over 40 cartons of Hill Water that was used at the ceremony. Others were; the Chairman Veterans League Capt. Kironde Kibuguju and Mark Kabunga, the District NRM Publicity Secretary. Others included; Yahaya Were, the Deputy Resident City Commissioner Mbale City, RDC Buvuma district Jackline Birungi, Deputy RDC Kayunga district Mariam Kaberuka among others.
It was indeed a beautiful and memorable wedding.Gashegu Muramira
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