Former Kampala Mayor Nasser Ntege Ssebagala who died yesterday will be buried next week on Sunday, something that is against Islamic practices.
Normally a Muslim must be buried as soon as possible after death, usually no more than 24 hours later. The reason for speedy burials partially stems from days when hygiene wasn’t at its best, according to the available information.
Ssebagala’s burial had been scheduled for Sunday 27 but after consultations with family members, it was agreed that the burial is delayed to allow his children who are out of the country to come and attend their father’s send-off.
The former Kampala Mayor had been admitted at Case Hospital in Kampala where he was undergoing treatment for an illness that hasn’t been disclosed yet.
The businessman was mayor of Kampala from 1998 to 2011 and he had expressed in running in the coming elections for the same seat.
In 2006, Ntege Ssebagala had also expressed interest in running for the presidency but later dropped out.
Ssebagala owned several businesses in Kampala and most of his time as a politician he was a Democratic Party-leaning candidate.
He was the first directly elected mayor of Kampala in 1998-2010 and the first one to lose office as Kampala mayor because of court conviction.
After winning the first direct elections, Sebaggala who had created the impression as the mayor of the ‘illiterate’ class, was looked at as a lucky man. On several occasions, he failed to express himself in English, but he was still elected to the office, defeating candidates like Peter Ssematimba whose command of the English language is unquestionable.