By Charles Etukuri
The body of lawyer Anthony Wameli, who passed away in the US in February while undergoing cancer treatment, returns to the country on Friday, March 3.
Wameli, the National Unity Platform’s (NUP) former head of law, died on February 8, 2023.
A detailed programme issued by his family indicates that upon his return, there will be a public viewing, “in celebration of his defence of human rights at the NUP head office, Makerere, Kavule, at 4:30pm.”
There will then be a vigil and a wake at his home in Kyetume, Gayaza, starting at 7:00pm.
On Saturday, March 4, Wameli’s cortège will make a stop at Ebenezer Worship Center in Kanyanya for a viewing and final farewell before a funeral service at Redeemed of the Lord Evangelistic Church in Kyebando at 10:00am.
The cortege will then head to Wameli’s ancestral home in Namisindwa district, where a vigil will be held.
Burial will take place on Sunday, March 5, at 2:00pm following a farewell service that will be held at Namisindwa Sports Ground from 9:00am.
Wameli, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, passed away at the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, in the United States of America, where he had been hospitalised since September 2021.
His family then appealed to members of the public to help them raise $30,000 (sh110m) to cater for bills and transportation costs through GoFundMe.
Wameli’s wife, Olive, stated in the fundraising appeal: “In 2021, my husband Anthony Wameli was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer. We started the journey of intense treatments, in a bid to save his life. Like so many during this time, I am devastated because, until last month, I believed we were on the road toward recovery.
On February 8, 2023, he lost his battle due to respiratory complications and multiple organ failures. This is a trying time for me and my entire family. We have so many pending bills to cover, including his funeral expenses and expatriating his body from Boston Massachusetts where he died to his final resting place in Kampala, Uganda.”
By press time today, March 2, only $10,250 (sh40m) had been raised. However, sources within the party noted that NUP and Wameli’s friends had since taken over his burial arrangements.
