Aggrey Awori to be buried in grave he dug 10 years ago

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The late Aggrey Awori will be buried in a grave he built 10 years ago.

Awori, the former ICT Minister died on Monday in Kampala. He will be laid to rest at his country home in Kibimba village, Buwuni town council in Bugiri district on Saturday.

According to Awori’s sister Constance Taaka, Awori, dug his own grave to prepare for his death about ten years ago. Taaka says that Awori preferred his body to be buried in a quiet place of his choice.

Taaka, who is currently attending to the mourners at the late Awori’s home says that the deceased often told his relatives and friends that he had constructed his burial site to reduce the burden on the mourners.

“Our brother was a very open-minded person and he often told us, including some of his neighbours how he had constructed his own grave, as a way of reducing on the financial burden that would be incurred by mourners during the preparation of his last funeral rites,” said Taaka.

Currently, the grave is being guarded by security personnel. On Thursday, dozens of mourners thronged his home and gathered at the grave to pay their last respects.

Justus Oketch, a neighbour says that they had no option but to gather at the grave since burial ceremonies have been restricted to not more than 20 people as one of the measures to control the spread of Covid-19.

Oketch says that Awori was a senior elder within their community and they respected his decision of constructing a grave before his death.

“Although it sounded strange at first because most of us had never heard of someone constructing their own grave before death, we respected his decision over the years,” he says.

Awori represented Samia-Bugwe North, Busia district in Parliament from 2001 until 2006.

He was an outspoken opposition member of parliament for the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) political party. In 2007, he abandoned the party and joined the ruling National Resistance Movement-NRM.

In 2009, Awori was appointed Minister for Information & Communications Technology until 2011 when he was dropped in the cabinet reshuffle. He also contested in the 2011 presidential elections.

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