Telling from what transpired at the last function he attended before his death, rumours are rife that the late retired Anglican Bishop Samuel Balagadde Ssekkadde had a pre-conceived vision of his imminent death.
The retired Bishop breathed his last on Monday evening shortly after arrival at Kisubi Hospital where he had been rushed by family members and friends after developing general body weakness which deteriorated to the extent that he could not walk unsupported. On arrival at the hospital at around 7.00pm, doctors declared him dead.
At the burial of Norah Karakire at Rushere in Nyabushozi on Sunday, the late Bishop is said to have urged mourners to stick to God, saying that that way they would die in his presence. He amazed them when he said, ‘You can never tell who is dying next; it could be me or you’, before boarding his vehicle to go home.
According to the home security guard identified as Andrew Nasasira, the deceased did not complain of any health problem on Monday till late in the even9ng when he told him that he was going to rest because he felt unwell.
‘I next saw Maama Bishop (Mrs. Ssekkadde) rushing downstairs and ordering me to go for coartem tablets which I did, and later asked me to call a neighbour to assist because Daddy was very ill’, Nasasira narrated.
And a family friend Ruth Ninsiima said the retired Bishop was preparing to perform a confirmation ceremony in Jjungo Church next Sunday, and that he spent a big part of Monday communicating with concerned people including the Archdeacon Venerable Gitta Kavuma, confirming the matter.
She added that the deceased had a history of hypertension and diabetes, but that no such symptoms were manifested before his death.
In his condolence message to the family, retired Bishop of Namirembe diocese Wilberforce Kityo Luwalira who succeeded him after his (Ssekkadde’s) retirement, said everybody was taken aback by the sad news which was broken on social media outlets, and appealed to God to appease them.
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Meanwhile, burial arrangements have been finalized, with the body currently lying in his official home at Entebbe, from where it will be taken to St. Mark’s church Namate for prayers. From there, the casket will be taken to Namirembe where the dean of the cathedral Ven. Can. Jonathan Kisawuzi will receive it.
Prayers that will last through the night will be held at Namirembe and the following morning on Thursday, prayers preceding burial will begin, leading to official burial at 2.00 p.m.
He died aged 83 having been born in 1941, and was the fifth Bishop of Namirembe following the late Misaeri Kauma. He was ordained a Reverend in 1967 and became a Bishop in 1994.
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