By Mulengera Reporters
Latest reporting indicates that remanded NUP publicist’s fallen wife Edith Katende discovered that she had breast cancer in her left breast a few months after getting married to Alex Waisswa Mufumbiro.
Their wedding was a glamorous event with the likes of Hon Bobi Wine and Dr. Kizza Besigye etc in attendance. Venue was Bobi Wine’s One Love beach in Busabala.
Family sources now show that Edith first felt discomfort in her left breast and was advised to do tests after the symptoms persisted. At first the screening indicated it wasn’t breast cancer, only for the same to be confirmed after several confirmatory tests were done on her.
In 2023, she gave birth to Mufumbiro’s child and during breast feeding, the symptoms worsened and her health began to significantly deteriorate. She eventually died during Easter weekend after battling breast cancer for roughly four years.
On Wednesday last week, as she often did, she travelled to Luzira prison to check on her husband Alex Waisswa who has been remanded there for almost a year now. As they chatted, Mufumbiro realized that her health wasn’t good at all but she encouraged him saying she would be fine.
That was Edith Katende, always positive and hopeful for the best, according to close friends who studied with her at Old Kampala SS where she sat her S6 exams in the year 2002. She never wanted to inconvenience others with her personal problems and that was on clear display for the entire four years she battled breast cancer.
Mufumbiro got premonition all wasn’t well. The following day Thursday he rang and spoke to her. She inquired to know if there is anything that could be done to get him come and be by her side for the rest of her days on earth. It was an emotional exchange and Mufumbiro (who is younger than her by a few years) asked Edith Katende to pray for him and be strong. He wished her happy Easter and promised to call again on Monday or Tuesday.
This was to never be as she breathed her last during the Easter weekend. Mufumbiro’s twin brother Kenneth Kato says that Edith’s situation suddenly escalated on Good Friday and they rushed her to Uganda Cancer Institute where they could not access the urgent help or attention their patient required. She needed urgent access to oxygen support and that’s how they quickly relocated to Ntinda-based Platinum Hospital.
Once there, Edith Katende was put on oxygen support but her attendants were told it was too late after they had lost a lot of time UCI where they were frustrated by long queues and high patient numbers.
Before her death, Edith struggled to communicate to her relatives in what now has been likened to a dying declaration. She demanded to speak to Mufumbiro one more time but that wasn’t possible. She then indicated to those present that she desired to have her husband Alex Waisswa Mufumbiro, with whom they have four children, participate in her burial which is slated to take place in his home district of Luuka in Busoga sub region on Friday 10th April.
Mufumbiro too desired to do as asked but his efforts to appeal to the Chief Justice Flavian Zeija to be temporarily released on bail in order to send off his wife, have so far not been successful.
Prisons publicist Frank Baine says that they can only effect that temporary release if Mufumbiro secures bail in which case the Court directs or authorizes them to let him out. Otherwise, Baine says the law doesn’t provide for such release, which explains why prisoners never get the opportunity to participate in the burial of their loved ones. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
