The East African Diaspora Media Watch (EADM)

By Samuel Muwanguzi

In Summary: He lay still and stiff; motionless. He was no more. He was gone. With his eyes closed, he seemed like he was in deep sleep. Yet, one got the impression that he was attentively listening to everything that was going on around him. No, he wasn’t. Perhaps, spiritually, he was. But physically, he wasn’t. He was in repose; missing in action.  Nothing could draw a more graphic contrast between the lively, active, smiling, and outgoing Uncle Adam Ssennyonga people knew and loved than his remains that were lying in state at the Bedford Memorial Funeral Home last Saturday. This stark contrast conveyed the brutal and loathed reality separating the living from the dead. The spontaneous outpouring of grief at the demise of a true friend who departed without notice said it all. Mourners queued and gently inched ahead, whispered a final prayer, bowed in respect, and tearfully cast their final glances as they filed past to resume their seats. Several eulogies celebrating the life of Uncle Adam, the man of the people, were unambiguous in their similarity. They echoed his boundless love, humbling generosity, and infectious warmth to all. “He touched me, he touched them, and he touched us,” various tributes chorused through the funeral home. Fare Thee Well and Rest in Peace, Uncle Adam!

The widow, Aunt Betty Ssenyonga surrounded by relatives and friends

Bedford, Texas— Hundreds of Ugandans living in the Dallas-Fort Wort (DFW) area were last Saturday joined by fellow countrymen and friends from within and outside the state of Texas to pay their last respects to Uncle Adam Ssenyonga who abruptly passed away on Friday October 7.

The viewing of the body during which final tributes to the man fondly referred to as “Uncle Adam” took place at the Bedford Memorial Funeral Home in Bedford, Texas. He lay still and stiff; motionless. He was no more. He was gone. With his eyes closed, he seemed like he was in deep sleep. Yet, one got the impression that he was attentively listening to everything that was going on around him. No, he wasn’t. Perhaps, spiritually, he was. But physically, he wasn’t. He was in repose; missing in action.  Nothing could draw a more graphic contrast between the lively, active, smiling, and outgoing Uncle Adam Ssennyonga people knew and loved than his remains that were lying in state at the Bedford Memorial Funeral Home last Saturday.  This stark contrast conveyed the brutal and loathed reality separating the living from the dead. The spontaneous outpouring of grief at the demise of a true friend who departed without notice said it all. Mourners queued and gently inched ahead, whispered a final prayer, bowed in respect, and tearfully cast their final glances as they filed past to resume their seats. Several eulogies celebrating the life of Uncle Adam, the man of the people, were unambiguous in their similarity.

Mourners echoed his boundless love, humbling generosity, and infectious warmth to all. “He touched me, he touched them, and he touched us,” various tributes chorused through the funeral home.

Later in the evening, the mourners who had kept vigil at the deceased’s home since he passed away a week earlier, returned to his residence for a reception and to further condole with the bereaved family. “Members of the DFW community continue to keep vigil at the home of the deceased and whoever is able to visit is encouraged to come and comfort the bereaved family,” a statement released by Lambert Etibot, President of the Ugandan community living in the DFW area stated Friday. On Thursday, Islamic prayers (Dhua) were held for the soul of the deceased at his residence at 2969 Timber Creek Trail Fort Worth Texas. The following day, Friday, hundreds of mourners gathered at the residence for a wake in honor of their fallen friend and to comfort the bereaved family.

Lambert Etibot, President of the Ugandan community in DFW area.

Meanwhile, the body of Uncle Adam Ssenyonga was on Monday October 17 shipped to Uganda aboard a British Airlines flight. According to the funeral organizing committee, the body will be transferred on a Kenya Airways flight in Nairobi on Wednesday night and will arrive at Entebbe Airport Thursday morning. “The family of Auntie Betty Ssenyonga extends its heartfelt gratitude to the entire Ugandan community both in the DFW and beyond and all others who offered support and continue to extend comfort to them during these difficult times of grief,” a statement by Lambert Etibot, President of Ugandans living in the greater DFW area released on Friday read in part. The message of gratitude followed a successful drive to raise money to ship the remains of Uncle Adam, launched last Saturday by UNAA President Monday Atigo and local DFW community President Lambert Etibot at the deceased’s home.

A cross-section of mourners who turned up at the event included the representative of the Kabaka of Buganda to Texas, New Mexico; Louisiana Dr. Abu Senkayi said the kingdom had lost a key citizen whose contribution to the kingdom will be greatly missed.

The fundraising drive raised enough money to ship the remains of Uncle Adam Ssenyonga to Uganda and to buy one air ticket for a relative who accompanied the body. Members of the funeral committee have appealed to those who made pledges to meet their commitments to help pay for some outstanding expenses both here and in Uganda. Payments and new contributions can be deposited into a special Funeral account at Wells Fargo Bank number 2756241077 in the names of Rita Naiga. The routing # for Wells Fargo Bank is 580800393.

UNAA President Monday Atigo launched the fundraising drive to return the remains of Uncle Adam 

Meanwhile, for the week the body of the late Adam Ssenyonga spent at the Bedford Memorial Funeral home, the proprietor offered its services free of charge as a humanitarian gesture to the bereaved family. Mr. John Nganga, the proprietor of the Bedford Memorial Funeral home, originally from Kenya, is a longtime friend of the Ugandan community living in the DFW area. A professional mortician with decades of experience in the business, Mr. John Nganga has on several occasions rendered funeral services to the Ugandan and other African communities living in the DFW area and shipped remains of their loved ones to their respective countries in Africa.

In Uganda, Texkamps, a group of Ugandans who previously lived in Texas and have since returned to Kampala, have finalized arrangements to receive the body of Uncle Adam Senyonga when it arrives at Entebbe Airport. “He was a friend of us all and we are doing everything possible to receive and pay our last respects to him with honor and dignity he so much deserves,” Richard Nalima, one of the organizers of the event told the EADM in a phone interview from Kampala on Sunday. The Texkamp group chaired by Mr. John Tamale, and comprising of Richard Nalima, Frank Byaruhanga, Sabastian Lwanga, and others has drawn a budget of 6.5 million shillings to partly cover the funeral expenses for Uncle Adam in Uganda.

Mr. Nalima said the group will receive the body at the Entebbe airport and turn it to Reliable Funeral Services which will take over the body and treat it according to Islamic religious traditions and transport it to Kakoba in Mbarara for burial. Since the body will arrive on Thursday, it will stay overnight at the ancestral home of the deceased before burial on Friday October 21 at 2:00PM Mr. Nalima told the EADM that the group in Kampala has arranged a Coaster taxi to transport mourners to and from Mbarara at a fee to be agreed upon later.

“I cannot thank Adam and his wife Betty enough. Adam has been a friend of mine for a long time that would do for me, my wife, and children anything with the slightest asking or not. He was a rare individual to meet in life. I could speak with him about anything; soccer, boxing, all issues of life, and I could stay in his house, eat food there, and felt at home anytime I went to the USA. Texans in Uganda feel the same way as I do,” Richard Nalima recalled of his fallen comrade.

Born on June 24, 1960, to the late Abdul Kyeyune and late Madina Nakyanja of Kakoba, Mbarara district, Adam Ssenyonga’s ancestors migrated to Ankole from Buganda during the religious wars in Buganda kingdom during the late 1880s.  He completed his primary education in Mbarara and joined Kibuli Secondary School in Kampala for his ordinary and advanced level education. He later joined Makerere University where he graduated with a Bachelors’ degree in economics. He worked in various places in Uganda before migrating to the United States in 1994.

Sarah Nassuna, one of the community members eulogizing the deceased.

Upon settling down in the DFW metroplex, he worked for different companies including Aegis Communication, Capital One Bank, HSBC Auto Finance, and Washington Mutual which evolved into Chase Bank. He left Chase Bank at the beginning of 2015 and became a private contractor as a UBER driver in August 2015. While working diligently in the transportation business around the DFW Metroplex and beyond, he collapsed on Friday October 7, 2016 in the bathroom at the DFW international airport. The paramedics tried their level best to resuscitate him but in vain.  He was rushed to Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine where he was pronounced dead shortly upon arrival. The exact cause of his death is still pending the final medical examiner’s (post mortem) report.

Robert, Tony, and Rodney eulogizing the departed Jjajja.

Adam Ssenyonga is survived by his wife of 30 years popularly known as Aunt Betty, two children; Isaac Ssenyonga who is living in Uganda and Gloria Nazziwa  resident in the United Kingdom, a number of step children, and grandchildren. The late Adam Ssenyonga will be laid to rest in Kakoba near Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) where his ancestors are interred. The family would like to thank the Ugandan community, and beyond, for the tremendous gesture of ensuring that Adam’s remains are returned to Uganda for burial as was his wish. Fare Thee Well and Rest in Peace, Uncle Adam!

A cross-section of the mourners at the funeral home

“Cross over back to the one who gave you to us. Crossover and rest from thine labors. Crossover and meet those who cherish you but went ahead of you. Crossover and meet thine maker who knew you more than we all did. Thank you for being the husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend, and trustworthy community elder. Rest in Eternal Peace, good friend, May thine angels hold you close to Abraham’ bosom. You will surely be missed but we have to let go. You will always be on our minds and forever in our hearts. RIP, Uncle Adam!