Staff
The family of late Tooro Prince David Mugabe Kijanangoma has asked anyone he may have offended during his lifetime to forgive him as relatives gathered for a quiet funeral service in Ntinda on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
The service at St Luke’s Church was attended by dozens of family members and close relatives. Gen Henry Isoke, Head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, represented the government and delivered a message from President Yoweri Museveni.
Kijanangoma, who died at the Uganda Cancer Institute at Mulago after battling throat cancer, was remembered by his family as a generous but outspoken man who strongly believed in fairness and justice.
Speaking on behalf of the siblings, his elder sister Grace Kaija acknowledged that her brother sometimes used harsh words that were misunderstood and appealed to those he may have hurt to forgive him.
“We all are not holy, we make mistakes and we ask that God will forgive all his wrongs. To all whom he hurt and stepped on your toes and said things that angered you, please forgive him.”
Kaija said Kijanangoma was often misunderstood because of the way he expressed himself, but maintained that he meant well and stood up for freedom, fairness and justice.
She described him as brave and “a voice of the voiceless,” while also recalling his generosity from childhood.
“He grew up with a big heart; anything small, he never ate alone. So many people ate from his hands until the day he stopped working.”
Kijanangoma’s daughter, Bellah Faith Adyeeri, also shared an emotional account of her final meeting with her father at the Uganda Cancer Institute.
“I last saw my dad last Saturday at the Mulago Cancer Institute. He smiled when he saw me. He was sad. He knew what was coming. But I am glad to have seen him before he went away.”
His niece, Monalisa Ochola, remembered him as an uncle who loved children and freely supported relatives financially. She said he had continued supporting family members while living in the United States before returning to Uganda and staying with relatives in Kyaliwajjala.
Kijanangoma’s cousins, led by Linda Makulima, also described him as a unifying figure within the royal family. Makulima said the cousins had spent the past three years discussing the estate and legacy of their grandfather, Sir George Kamurasi Rukidi III, and formed a committee with Kijanangoma at its helm.
“He wanted our grandfather’s legacy to unite us and not divide us,” Makulima said.
Makulima also recalled the beginning of Kijanangoma’s illness, saying she took him to a hospital on Kanjokya Street after he fell sick, where tests detected cancer. He was later admitted to Nakasero Hospital.
She said the illness affected his ability to speak.
“The cancer took his voice instantly and he only used to text.”
Despite his illness, Makulima said Kijanangoma remained engaged with his family.
Unlike the large state-supported funeral held for his cousin, the late King Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukidi IV, Kijanangoma’s church service was deliberately kept as a small family affair.
Brig Gen Henry Isoke said the decision was intentional.
“This is intentionally a small family send off meant for the family. As you know we just came from a big funeral (of the king) where the government and everyone else was involved, but this is small and for the family.”
Isoke also said President Museveni had been informed about Kijanangoma’s illness and had assisted with his treatment at Mulago.
“When David fell sick, I communicated to the president and he rendered assistance in treatment at Mulago Hospital.”
He added that Museveni had also sent a financial contribution towards a dignified funeral, which had been handed over to the family.
Kijanangoma was a prominent and outspoken figure in Tooro affairs and had previously challenged the reign of his cousin, the late King Oyo, in a dispute that became part of the wider tensions surrounding the Tooro royal family.
