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Hajji Abdu Katamba Sserunjogi was among the 220 pilgrims who on August 21, left the country for Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) in Makkah. They were under Makkah-Madinah Hajj Services.
Unfortunately, after three days in the holy city of Madinah, where the contingent first visited, Hajji Katamba succumbed to hypertension.
According to his young brother, Hajji Sulait Mulumba, with whom they traveled for the holy journey, Hajji Katamba developed complications shortly before the afternoon Dhuhr prayers and was rushed to Al-Salam Endowment Hospital, Madinah, where he was announced dead after about an hour.
Sheikh Yahaya Kalungi, the spokesman of Makkah-Madinah Hajj Services, told The Friday Call that the deceased first sought medical attention on Friday night.
“On Friday evening, he left his hotel room for the sacred Masjid and told his brothers, Mulumba and Noordin Ssebitosi, that he wanted to have his private moment with his creator. He spent several hours in the Masjid, so his brothers began getting worried about him getting lost,” Kalungi said.
Their consolation as they went to bed was in his assurance to them that he was familiar with the geography of Masjid al-Nabawi. He unfortunately lost his way back and reached the hotel late in the night.
His condition deteriorated on Saturday as they prepared for the Dhuhr prayers.
“Initially, we wanted to take him to Al-Shifa Hospital within the precincts of Masjid al-Nabawi, but because he was too weak, we went to Al-Salam Hospital, which is close to our hotel,” Kalungi said.
BURIAL
On Sunday morning, preparations were underway to have the deceased buried in the revered Al-Baqi-e cemetery in Madinah.
“We finalized the necessary paperwork on our side. We are waiting for the embassies to open for the final protocols to be completed before we can bury him. That is likely to be later in the evening or tomorrow morning,” Kalungi said.
Sheikh Umar Sserunjogi, a brother to the deceased, said the family is scheduled to hold funeral prayers for the deceased at his ancestral home at Kayunga village in Mateete, Sembabule district, on Sunday.
LEGACY
Born on November 26, 1954, Hajji Katamba leaves behind a rich legacy as an educationist and public servant.
He thrust himself into the limelight in the late 1980s as headteacher of Mbulire Muslim Secondary School in Kitanda sub-county, in present-day Bukomansimbi district.
He took a break from the school in 1998 when he joined Masaka district council as a councillor for Kitanda sub-county and went on to become the district’s vice chairman under the then LC-V chairman, Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja.
His stint in active politics ended in 2001, choosing to go back into teaching.
He was reappointed headteacher of Mbulire SS until late in 2005 when he was transferred to Nkoma Secondary School in Mbale district. He was received by protests from the leadership of Bugisu Muslim district that petitioned the Ministry of Education and Sports to rescind his appointment.
The ministry, however, overruled the Muslim leaders, telling them that Hajji Katamba was posted there to rescue the school from mismanagement, which nearly resulted in the school’s 2005 candidates missing their final exams.
Source:The Friday Call