Leaders from the Acholi region have joined the rest of the country in mourning the death of Mathias Nsubuga, the Democratic Party (DP) Secretary General.
Nsubuga passed on at Case Clinic, Kampala, on Sunday evening after suffering a stroke on Friday, according to a press release by DP president Norbert Mao.
Gilbert Olanya, the Member of Parliament for Kilak South County in Amuru district described the late Nsubuga as a true nationalist who believed in democracy and the rule of law.
“It’s quite unfortunate that we lost Hon Nsubuga when we needed him most. He was a nationalist who looked at Uganda as a whole. He was someone who was not discriminative. He was the person who looked at everyone equally,” said Olanya.
The Amuru MP said in the 9th Parliament, Nsubuga rallied other legislators to enact laws that were in the country’s interest.
Olanya said he will never forget Nsubuga for his efforts in convincing other Members of Parliament to adapt a petition brought before House by children formerly abducted by the LRA.
The Gulu District Vice Chairman for DP, Geoffrey Otim said the party was still in shock.
“We are really at shock! We are totally at shock about his death. As a party, sincerely, this is a big setback for us. His death has created a leadership gap in the party. A very, very good man who has done a lot for the party and we expected that he was going to do more for us.”
“This year (2016), has not been a good year for us. We lost councilors and other members too. We are really saddened with his (Nsubuga) death,” Otim added.
Jacob Candano, a member of the DP in Gulu described the late Nsubuga as a focused, dedicated leader who worked hard to see that unity exist within the party.
Ayivu County MP, Benard Atiku said the late Nsubuga believed in Democracy.
MP Atiku, a former member of Uganda Young Democrats, a youth wing of the DP who has since switched to the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) said the fallen DP leader was a great mentor.
“As a young politician, I remember him mentoring us while we were in the youth league. While at parliament, I remember he was very committed in serving this country. Most of his deliberations were of national issues and in most cases he referred to historical incidences that took place in this country,” said Atiku.
According to Atiku, the late Nsubuga’s skill and experience will be missed.
“When you look at the circumstances the opposition operates in, some people have been bribed off, some have been bought off, so if somebody who has been able to withstand that kind of situation all this time, I think these are people this country needed in the transitional process.’’
Nsubuga’s body was on Tuesday brought before Parliament for final respect. He will be buried Wednesday in Lwengo district. He served as Member of Parliament for Bukoto North in the 8th and 9th parliament.
