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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Politicians have paid glowing tribute to former Kampala Mayor Al Hajji Nasser Ntege Sebaggala who passed on this morning.
Sebaggala, 72, suffered a cardiac arrest a few weeks after undergoing surgery for intussusception, a condition in which one segment of the intestine inverts within another, causing an intestinal obstruction. He was admitted at International Hospital Kampala on September 7, after collapsing in a bathroom at his home in Munyonyo.
Kyaddondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, the principal of the movement which later mutated into the National Unity Platform says that Sebaggala’s death is a big loss for the opposition in Uganda, and the People Power pressure group which was his last point of call in the political arena.
Kyagulanyi said that Ssebaggala not only took part in guiding him as a young leader in his time as an MP but also offered his expertise as an elder and veteran politician.
Former Kampala Woman MP Margret Nantongo Zziwa says that Sebaggala has left a deep in the politics of Kampala, describing him as an astute politician who successfully fit in all times and all spaces. “He was sometimes very unpredictable but has left a mark on Kampala politics and Uganda at large. The Seya title was his landmark,” Zziwa said.
Kenneth Paul Kakande, a former Member of the Uganda Young Democrats, the youth wing of the Democratic Party that manned Sebaggala’s mayoral campaigns said Ssebaggala will be remembered for involving young people in his political campaigns and training them to ‘win the hearts of voters’
Kakande said he became so close to Ssebagala in 1996 when he collaborated with the Uganda Young Democrats –UYD for his Mayor campaigns which he won in 1997. Kakande said Ssebagala popularized the use of coloured posters which were not common at the time and his idea of using dancers on his campaigns brought political excitement not only in Kampala but nationwide.
Michael Mabikke, the former Makindye East MP said Ssebagala was courageous, tactful, and a very exceptional team player. “He was exceptional because he knew what to do and when to do it, Mabikke said.
Former Kampala Central MP Capt Francis Edward Babu said Ssebagala never discriminated people regardless of their political affiliations. Babu adds that since he knew him from their childhood, Sebaggala liked politics and always offered ideas.
“He was friendly. He did not have problems with people from other political camps. When I won my first contest, he came and gave me some ideas. And when he won as a Mayor, I also gave him ideas. He knew this town very well,” Capt Babu said.
Muhammad Nsereko, the reigning Kampala Central MP said he always shared great moments with Sebaggala both in the area of business and governance.
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