In every aspect of the word, John Ssebaana Kizito, the fallen former president general of the Democratic Party (DP), was an accomplished man who loomed larger than many politicians and businessmen.
Ssebaana was also a passionate sportsman and a loyalist to his kingdom, Buganda. Ssebaana succumbed to complications resulting from a stroke on July 3 at Nakasero hospital.
In a statement released yesterday, DP said Uganda had lost a principled nationalist.
“He believed in a people centred ideology and fought for the unprivileged in society…We have lost a giant. The candle has burnt out but we the members of the Democratic Party in particular shall not forget his will to create a compassionate society big enough to for all, service beyond self and we pledge to keep his will as part of the guiding principles in the long struggle to bring change to mother Uganda,” read part of a statement signed by Kenneth Paul Kakande, the DP spokesperson.
Born in 1934 in a humble setting in Mpande village found in Nyimbwa sub-county, Luweero district, Ssebaana beat the odds to become one of the country’s most respected citizens.
He attended the prestigious Kings College Budo for his secondary education before enrolling for his bachelor’s in Economics at Makerere University. Even before completing his university education, Ssebaana was already engrossed in politics.
“Ssebaana was a focused man who knew how to get where. He was in the opposition for so long and yet he survived three dictatorial regimes. Not so many politicians would last that long in the opposition,” said Medard Ssegona, the MP for Busiro East, who is chairing Ssebaana’s burial committee.
In 1961, at 27 years, Ssebaana backed then DP President, Ben Kiwanuka against Dr Milton Obote whose UPC party had formed an alliance with the Anglican and Buganda dominated Kabaka Yekka (YK).
This was surprising because Ssebaana was an Anglican who had not been expected to side with the predominantly Catholic DP. He argued that DP was more nationalistic than the latter and probably it’s for the same reason that he didn’t find it hard supporting Norbert Mao, an Acholi, to succeed him as party president.
Nasser Ntege Sebaggala, who in 2005 lost out to Ssebaana during the DP presidential race, said Ssebaana was a cool-headed leader.
“Ssebaana never kept grudges. I contested against him for the DP ticket for mayorship but he continued to support me. His death is a big blow to the country,” Sebaggala said.
Between 1962 and 1980, Ssebaana was an established politician and renowned investment and insurance guru at the Uganda Development Corporation and National Insurance Corporation (NIC). Before joining NIC, he had served as a member of the East African Legislative Assembly, from 1967 until 1977.
In 1980, because of his closeness to the grassroots people, he didn’t find it hard winning the Kampala South (present Makindye East) parliamentary seat with 90%.
Apart from being the acting leader of opposition in 1983, the DP stalwart was also shadow Foreign Affairs minister for five years (1981 until 1985). When the NRA took power in 1986, he served as minister for Cooperatives and Marketing under the broad-based arrangement.
He later served as the minister for Regional Cooperation (1987-1988) and as minister for Housing and Urban Development (1989-1991). In 1999, Ssebaana became the second directly-elected Mayor of Kampala after Sebaggala was arrested in the United States of America after being accused of dealing in fake traveller’s cheques.
Ssebaana contested in the 2006 presidential elections and came third with 109,583 votes. Because of his maturity and calmness, Ssebaana became the first non-Catholic to lead DP. Former party leaders such as Benedicto Kiwanuka and Paul Kawanga Semogerere had their core values rooted in the Catholic faith and had tried to build the party along those lines.
TRUE MUGANDA
Despite belonging to DP, Ssebaana’s loyality to his Kingdom never wavered even when he opposed KY’s alliance with Obote’s UPC. He remained loyal to Edward Muteesa II and later when Obote exiled the kabaka and abolished kingdoms, Ssebaana joined other Buganda loyalists and condemned the move.
He pushed for the reinstatement of kingdoms, which saw Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi enthroned in 1993. Because of their close relationship, Kabaka Mutebi, who rarely appears in public, visited him on his sick bed at Nakasero hospital.
While addressing journalists in Mengo on Monday, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga described the fallen mogul as an honest and trustworthy person who served the kingdom whole-heartedly.
“He never undermined the people he was above. Despite my profile being low compared to his, Mzee Ssebaana would talk to me and advise me with the highest respect. He was a businessman who trained many and, therefore, I describe him as an all-round positive contributor to national growth,” Mayiga said.
Ssebaana also served as president of the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) from May to December 1992.
BUSINESS, CONTROVERSY
In the business world, Ssebaana is mainly remembered in the insurance sector. To many, he is “the father of Uganda’s private insurance” since he jointly established Statewide Insurance Company (SWICO) with Joseph William Kiwanuka. He later ventured into real estate, ran a business empire and it’s alleged that he owned over 80 land titles.
Even successful people have a brush with controversy and Ssebaana was no different. In 2016, the former mayor lost a three-storey building in Old Kampala to Dayalji Gejja, an Indian, who claimed he was the rightful owner of the building. Gejja alleged that his family lost the building after being exiled by Amin in 1972.
Ssebaana maintained he bought the building in 1982 from someone he didn’t recall. And that he didn’t use his office as mayor to extend the property’s lease. Up to his last days, the frail DP stalwart appeared in court to answer land-related charges but emphasised that he was innocent.
In a 2012 interview with The New Vision, Ssebaana defended the selling of city plots to investors saying: “It’s true, during my term we sold a number of plots to local businessmen. But I don’t think it was done in bad faith because it was the decision of the council to sell the plots to developers. Today, the local developers have raised good buildings which make the city look nice.”
Yesterday, DP announced the burial programme for Ssebaana. Tomorrow (Thursday), the body will come out of the funeral home and from 8am to 10am, Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) will pay tribute to him as former mayor.
From 11am to 5pm, the body will lay in the lobby at Parliament and thereafter in the chamber, where he will be eulogized by MPs. This will be followed by a night vigil at the deceased’s home in Kansanga.
On Friday from 8am to 10am, there will be a memorial mass led by the Archbishop of Kampala Dr Cyprian Kizito Lwanga at Statewide Insurance Company at Sure House. Thereafter, a memorial service will be held from 11am to 4pm at Namirembe Cathedral after which the cortege will proceed to Mpande, Kalule, Luweero district.
On Saturday, Ssebaana’s burial will start with a service at 10am and at 2pm he will be laid to rest.
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