By Mulengera Reporters
Led by family head Mzee John Ssali and the deceased’s oldest son Counsel John Tamale Mirundi, fallen media consultant Tamale Mirundi’s family members have publicly wondered why and how God came to give President Museveni’s Personal Assistant Gen Proscovia Nalweyiso such a large heart.
So influential in the Museveni State House is Gen Nalweyiso that few people can get their H.E.’s money release-related directive delivered upon without her personal input and involvement. Besides all else she does for the President, Nalweyiso is also the President’s Assistant in charge of all classified expenditures.
When he fell sick, Tamale Mirundi became a potential beneficiary of such classified expenditures by the President. Mind you he had been out of active employment for the last nearly 10 years following his ouster from the position of Press Secretary to the President. and was therefore enduring extreme financial vulnerability So, clearly, having suffered from complex health conditions, Mirundi was financially vulnerable and required support from a wealthy office like State House.
He had suggested going through former State House Comptroller Lucy Nakyobe, who remains close to the H.E. as she serves as Head Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet. But as his brother Ssali looked around on how to get audience with Nakyobe, Mirundi thought of his old friend Hajji Faruk Kirunda who immediately brought the matter of his expensive to the attention of Presidency Minister Milly Babalanda who has more access to the President than any other Minister.
Being an old friend to Mirundi, Babalanda immediately brought the same to the attention of the President and advised that the big man quickly intervenes because this was about saving Mr. Mirundi’s life. For the President to make any money release-related interventions, Nalweyiso had to be involved as a matter of course and Mirundi was initially fearful and doubtful whether the grey-haired retired UPDF officer from Mukono Ntawo would play ball.
His fear was that, because he had spent more than 10 years ranting, abusing and demonizing Nalweyiso on media platforms, she would revenge by objecting to be of help once required by the President to organize some bail out cash for especially hospital bills which we shooting througfh the roof yet the family was hard-up.
Mirundi, who kept claiming that his fellow Muganda Nalweyiso was part of the State House powerful clique that fermented his ouster from the Press Secretary job (as if it was meant to be his for life), confided in his son John Mirundi about his fears.
John Mirundi now says they were all surprised when Nalweyiso, who Faruk Kirunda worked hard to reconcile with Mirundi through organizing conference phone calls as Mzee Mirundi agonized inside Kisubi Hospital, surprised them when she turned out more understanding, receptive and supportive than even his dad ever imagined.
Because the Kirunda peace-making efforts were very effective and successful, Nalweyiso assured Mirundi she was ready to mend fences and actively work towards saving his life in any hospital within Uganda or abroad for as long as the President signaled her to facilitate the operation.
John Mirundi now says that before Faruk Kirunda, Bebe Cool and Haruna Kasolo were brought into the picture as the direct contacts between State House and the Mirundi family, the first money Nalweyiso had dispatched for the Mirundi cause didn’t promptly reach the family. When it disappeared, Gen Nalweyiso told them she wasn’t surprised because she had gradually come to learn how unreliable Ugandans can be when it comes to delivering the President’s cash to intended beneficiaries.
“She wasn’t bothered and said okay, let’s find another money and she never demanded that we return some of it to State House even after the first money was recovered,” says John Mirundi who says they were tremendously surprised with the magnanimity with which Nalweyiso treated the Mirundi hospital matter and the welfare of the other family members-basically children and wives.
It was through Nalweyiso’s deliberate efforts that the Shs43m the H.E. dispatched to clear the Kisubi hospital bill and another Shs30m, to cater for the welfare of Mirundi’s children and wives for the weeks he was hospitalized, promptly reached the family. Because he was the sole bread winner, John Mirundi says his father’s hospitalization meant life stalling for his younger children and their mothers who are more than the mere two (Florence Namayanja of Kyengera and Juliet Nantege Nassimbwa of Zzana) who have repeatedly been introduced to crowds during the bereavement period.
John Mirundi says there are several other Mirundi women who shared on the Shs30m Nalweyiso sent through Bebe Cool and Hajji Kirunda except that a decision was taken to manage the Mirundi brand PR by concealing their identity throughout all the vastly-publicized funeral-related activities.
When Mirundi’s situation didn’t improve, the President signaled readiness to evacuate him abroad for better treatment and still Nalweyiso was the person at hand to avail the cash to facilitate all that.
That when he was pronounced dead, the President communicated through Hajji Faruk Kirunda his offer to fund everything including the coffin, funeral service expenses, the events management bit and the feeding of mourners from Wednesday up to Sunday when he was buried. Still, all this had to financially be facilitated by Nalweyiso on behalf of the President.
If she was bad-hearted and ill-meaning, she could frustrate all this release of the President’s money but she didn’t, which John says has left all Mirundi children, widows and siblings surprised as to the good heart Gen Nalweyiso has. He says they have decided to dedicate her to the Almighty God who should be the one to reward her abundantly for her forgiveness and large heart.
“We don’t know the reason but we all know that she is one of the people dad abused for many years on media but we have been disarmed by Gen Nalweyiso’s humility and willingness to forgive. I know she spoke to dad on phone before his death and they mended fences but we didn’t expect the support and solidarity we have received from Gen Nalweyiso who has even been calling urging us to be firm,” John Mirundi told mourners in the Bunamwaya Church, at Zzana and also during burial in Kalagala-Kalisizo Kyotera district on Sunday. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at [email protected]).
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