Kampala- Hajji Badru Wegulo, the former national party chairman of Uganda Peoples’ Congress is dead.
Announcing his passing on, Sophia Wegulo, the daughter to the deceased said her father passed on at 2am last night at their ancestral home in Kachonga sub-county, Butaleja district.
“Mzee has been battling cancer for some time and as a family we decided to bring him back home since he was on treatment but unfortunately he has gone,” Ms Wegulo said.
In 2010 Wegulo, Henry Mayega and Osinde Wangor crossed from the UPC to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party during the launch of the 2011 NRM campaign manifesto at Serena Conference Centre and he was afterwards named Presidential Advisor in charge of Eastern Uganda.
Wegulo was one of the few leaders that kept UPC alive while Dr. Milton Obote was in exile in Lusaka, Zambia and as party chairman, together with Dr James Rwanyarere who was Chairman of the Presidential Policy Commission (PPC), oversaw the running of the UPC.
Mr Peter Walubiri, a former colleague on the PPC and now a director of Milton Obote Foundation (MOF) described Hajji Wegulo as a fighter for democracy, ‘despite crossing to NRM’.
“It is so sad that a former colleague has passed on. It is unfortunate that he has died without coming back to the party he built. I know in his heart of hearts, he remains a Congressman and we convey condolences to the family,” Mr Walubiri said.
Lira Municipality Member of Parliament and embattled UPC party leader, Jimmy Akena says no differences can deny Wegulo his role in the politics of the UPC and Uganda at large.
“He was a Congressman and we have to appreciate what he did for the party and the country. Like any other human being, he was disappointed with the UPC politics in 2010 and decided to join NRM but he was a nationalist who wished Uganda well,” Akena said.
A one time UPC diehard, on September 14, 2001 Wegulo rejected a job offer by President Yoweri Museveni as Senior Presidential Advisor on politics.
At the time the President had appointed both Wegulo and Prof. Timothy Wangusa as his advisors.
Prof. Wangusa subsequently accepted the job and to date he is an Advisor on Literary Affairs.
