By Mulengera Reporters
On Sunday, hundreds of relatives, fellow Christian believers and friends converged at Baptist Church Nakulabye for prayers and vigil to eulogize Pastor John Ekuddu, the Makerere University former Dean of students, who died at the age of 76.
The detailed record of the day’s proceedings can be accessed via this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LA0zwxt-7A & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9TLKic5-Uc.
Rtd Anglican bishop Dr. Zac Niringiye, who had been the deceased’s close friend for 50 years, was the day’s main preacher and some of the speakers included Deliverance Church’s bishop Laban Jjumba, Prof Sarah Ssali (the DVC Academic Affairs) who spoke for and on behalf of Makerere University among others.
Eulogizers from the family were led by the widow Grace Ekuddu who made it clear that the deceased died a happy and well accomplished person. That it her husband’s desire to be celebrated in death, as opposed to being mourned by sobbing and wailing mourners.
She said this ceremony was designed to be a platform to celebrate while thanking God for the life and personal accomplishments of Pastor John Ekuddu both as an illustrious church minister of the word and seasoned administrator who loyally served Makerere for much of his working life.
Being one charged with all students’ welfare-related and security aspects, Ekuddu served as Dean of Students for Makerere from 1995 all the way to 2010.
He had started out serving as a staff at Makerere from as early as the mid-1970s and in all those decades, he impacted and mentored many future leaders including most of the former guild presidents known by contemporary Uganda to have been students’ leaders at the University.
Upon retiring from the Makerere University service, John Ekuddu dedicated the remainder of his life time to church ministry and leadership besides spearheading charitable causes which saw him materially support hundreds of children from vulnerable backgrounds.
Many such children are now big people and were present to celebrate and eulogize him during the Nakulabye vigil which went on up to towards midnight. This was all preceded by a church service which began at 3pm and dinner that was served between 7:30 and 8:30pm.
At the conclusion of her speech, in which she thanked God for bestowing upon her such a good husband and an effective father to her four children (one boy Paul and three girls), the widow (Grace Ekuddu) signalled the choir to play the deceased’s favourite hymn and the ushers to roll into the church a huge cake that was cut at the pulpit and served to the mourners who filled the church to capacity. The detailed record of the day’s proceedings can be accessed via this YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LA0zwxt-7A & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9TLKic5-Uc.
This gesture seemed strange and unusual to many people in the church but the widow (who ensured no one shed a tear or cried for Ekuddu) clarified that this is what Pastor John Ekuddu (who battled prolonged illness, which saw him spend weeks at IHK) desired to see.
She called upon all the young people, who Pastor Ekuddu had fostered as a father figure and raised directly or indirectly in whatever way, to step forward and join her in cutting and serving the cake, pieces of which the ushers helped to ensure were served to everyone present including mourners who sat in tents outside the church, which was already filled up as can be seen via this YouTube video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LA0zwxt-7A & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9TLKic5-Uc.
