It was all grief last week as mourners converged in their numbers to witness the send-off of one of the iconic leaders of the Butaleja district, Mr Nalume Eridadi.
Nalume, one of the very first elites of Bunyoli passed on on May, 9th from Mulago Hospital in Kampala where he had been briefly admitted as having battled poor health for some time.
His send-off was massively attended by the top honchos from the district, both from political and public service, religious and cultural leaders and the general public.
Prominently in attendance was National Resistance Movement(NRM) National Publicist, Emmanuel Dombo Lumala who represented the ruling party on one side and Alex Waiswa Mufumbiro, the deputy spokesperson for the opposition outfit- National Unity Platform(NUP).
Also present were; both current and former MPs from the district, RDC and Deputy, Butaleja Party(NRM and NUP) leaders, and members of the district technical wing, among others.
Mzee Nalume was also the father of Mr Lyada Moses, the NUP District Chairperson and former Bunyoli West MP contestant.
NRM Secretary General, Richard Todwong, in his message to the bereaved family, described the deceased as ” a nationalist, patriot, an astute politician and a dependable cadre who loved his country” and one of the iconic pioneer leaders who laid the foundation for what Butaleja Local Government.
Toowong also noted that NRM holds the late’s contribution and strong support to the party and President Museveni in particular whose campaign task force he led in Butaleja in the 1996 and 2001 elections.
He was largely co-attributed by the community for his role in the mobilisation for the construction of the Budumba bridge which connects the district to Namutumba and the rest of the country thereafter. This was also re-echoed in the SG’s condolence message as a mega contribution towards the economic transformation of Butaleja.
The party also disbursed a condolence contribution of five hundred thousand shillings towards the burial of its iconic cadre.
Mufumbiro, in his message, hailed the late for his contribution towards the development of the area and expressed regret that he devoted his loyalty towards an indifferent group of people. Mufumbiro expressed disappointment that despite his sacrifice toward the party in government, he died a frustrated man having failed to see electricity in his village which was his lifelong dream even though he would have had the capacity to pay its bills.
Mufumbiro also faulted Museveni’s 37-year-old government over its failure to redeem the population from abject poverty. He targeted Dombo for ridicule for speaking for a party that has deliberately impoverished his people.
Even though Mzee Nalume had resisted their efforts to sway him towards the side of the opposition, Mufumbiro revealed that he had authorised them to carry on the fight for a better country and even gave his son, Lyada to actively participate in it.
Namisindwa RDC, Mr Muluga Imran who is also a son of the district described Nalume as one of the pillars of Butaleja whose loss will be hard to replace. He suggested that the government names Budumba Bridge after him to keep his legacy alive and inspire the current generation of leaders to work tirelessly to advance communal interests rather than self-aggrandizement.
Hajji Alumasi Hasiyo, an NRM historical hailed the unique contribution of Nalume towards his party, and district and faulted his party for failing to a cord him due recognition while still alive. A recipient of a medal himself for his service to the nation, Hasiyo noted that the late also deserved to reserve a similar recognition while still living.
Nalume was born on 18.9.1945 to Mutamu Belekiya Were and Naula Eseza Mutamu. He attended Kapisa Primary School and Agule SS for Primary and Secondary Education before joining Elgon Technical Institute where he trained in Electrical Installation and a general certificate of Education. He later joined Kyambogo UTC to advance in the same field and attain a Technical Teaching Certificate in Education in 1973.
In 1974, Nalume went to Turin, Italy where he graduated with a diploma in Methodology.
He worked at Kilembe Mines, Nyanza Textiles Entebbe Airport and Owen Falls Dam as a Technician between 1967 and 1970.
In 1971, President Idk Amin Dada appointed him to head the Electrical department at St Joseph Technical Institute Kisubi in an acting capacity.
In 1972, he returned to Britain, Germany and Italy to train further and attained an advanced diploma in Methodology/Electrical Installation. He returned two years later, in 1974 to St Joseph and was elevated to a substantive Head of Electrical Department.
In 1983, he returned to his native district and became the first Principal of Butaleja Technical Institute and held the position until 2003 when he was transferred to Kasodo Technical Institute where he retired in 2005. In 2006, he was appointed a member of the Butaleja District Service Commission.
Community Service
He championed the opening of the Budumba Bridge which, to date, serves as the main communication link between Butaleja and the rest of the country.
As a cadre 6 of the NRM, he mobilised for the party and President Museveni in the area at the inception of the NRM Government in 1987. He would go on to chair the campaign task force team of the President for both the 1996 and 2001 elections. He chaired the building committees for the construction of the Butaleja Archdeaconry, Bulubandi Church of Uganda and Nahagulu Church of Uganda.
As a pioneer principal, Balume is credited with the construction of Bataleja Technical Institute and developing it into the modern institution it is today.
He is survived by two widows and twelve children.
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