The protest at his burial highlighted tensions between some residents and their current representatives, with mourners using the occasion to express dissatisfaction with what they described as the MPs’ failure to remain connected to their constituents outside funeral ceremonies.
Mourners at the burial of former Buyamba County MP Amos Mandela Mugerwa have today Wednesday October 28, 2026 turned rowdy after protesting condolence messages from their current area representatives, Gyaviira Ssemwanga and Juliet Ssuubi Kinyamatama.
The drama unfolded at Kibaati Village in Kajju Parish, Kacheera Sub-county, Rakai District, when Kalungu West MP Gonzaga Ssewungu read condolence messages from the two legislators before delivering a separate message from Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa.
The mourners demanded that the messages from Ssemwanga, the current Buyamba County MP, and Kinyamatama, the Rakai District Woman MP, be withdrawn, accusing the two leaders of neglecting their constituents and only remembering them during funerals.
The two legislators, Gyaviira and Kinyamatama were absent from the final send-off of Mandela, who died on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
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Their messages provoked anger among sections of the mourners, who questioned why the leaders had not attended the burial in person to pay their last respects to their predecessor.
Mandela’s death has renewed concerns over political violence following allegations that he was assaulted during the 2026 parliamentary election campaigns.
The former legislator reportedly sustained injuries in an attack by unidentified assailants while preparing to appear on a radio talk show in Rakai. He subsequently sought treatment at Mulago and other health facilities as his condition deteriorated.
Rakai Resident District Commissioner Sarah Kiyemba confirmed that the alleged assault was linked to the circumstances surrounding Mandela’s death, although the precise medical cause of death and the circumstances of the reported attack require further verification.
Mandela, who represented Buyamba County in the ninth and tenth Parliaments, contested in the 2026 parliamentary election as an independent candidate but lost to Ssemwanga of the National Resistance Movement.
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Before joining Parliament, he worked as a community development officer in Rakai District. Deputy Speaker Tayebwa, in his tribute, praised Mandela’s contribution to parliamentary work, particularly his role on the Committee on National Economy.
The protest at his burial highlighted tensions between some residents and their current representatives, with mourners using the occasion to express dissatisfaction with what they described as the MPs’ failure to remain connected to their constituents outside funeral ceremonies.
