He was a patriot and a man of the people: Patrick Kateihwaho praised

Hundreds of mourners gathered at St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church in Ntinda on Monday for a requiem mass for one of Uganda’s leading economists, Patrick Kateihwaho.

Mourners included politicians, retired and current senior civil servants, members of Parliament, members of the private sector, judicial tribunal judges and other prominent figures in the country.

Some of the notable figures who attended the service included; former Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, National Water and Sewerage Corporation board chairman Engineer Dr Badru Kigundu, NRM Women’s League chairperson Lydia Wanyoto, prominent women lawyers; Monica Mugenyi and Judge Pamela Kalyegira, among others.

Paying their last respects, mourners described Kateihwaho as a true patriot and an intelligent individual who contributed significantly to the transformation of Uganda’s energy sector.

Prime Minister Emeritus Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda praised Kateihwaho for his patriotic credentials.

“Patrick’s teammates and friends who know him better than those of us who are older have really spoken highly of him, not just today but even over the last two days. His patriotic credentials have been very well articulated, and also the fact that he was someone authentic, someone independent and someone who looked at Uganda rather than being narrow-minded,” Rugunda said.

He added: “Patrick leaves us a great legacy of love for his country. He evidently was a great patriot, authentic and independent-minded. He was concerned with issues that concern not only him as a person, but also the public, the concerns of the public. I remember he made an appointment to see me and discussed important concerns he had about the energy sector. I remember him raising additional issues in some of the meetings. He then he is someone who was not narrow-minded, who was not short-sighted. He is someone who cared and was an activist to ensure that we work on the situation we are in to improve it.”

Patrick Kateihwaho died on Friday after fainting in the bathroom of his home in Ministers’ Village in Ntinda.

His father, Didas Kateihwaho, who described his now deceased son as generous, intelligent and hardworking, said his death made him cry for the second time in his adult life.

“On Friday I was sitting at home (in Bugolobi) with my wife. Dr. Aisha Sekalaala and Robert arrived around 9 pm. They were very sad and I asked them, ‘What’s wrong?’ You’re not smiling like usual. First they stayed silent and then they told me the news. I had the biggest scare of my life because at 7 o’clock he called me Patrick and he asked me how he was doing and I told him that he was fine,” he narrated.

“It was too much for me to bear. And in my adult life I have only cried twice. The first was when my brother Kata died and the second was when Patrick died. I didn’t cry when my father and mother died. It will take a little time to recover.”

Didas praised his son for being very generous and said that if he had anything, it would be for his friends and family.

“That’s what it was. He was very generous and kind. “The amount of people that came to my house on Saturday and Sunday was a clear demonstration of what Patrick was,” he said.

“He was a very intelligent and hard-working man, and we will miss him very much. He has left 3 children and a wife, mother of those children. The best thing we can do is love them and be with them so that they don’t miss his father so much.”

Patrick was born on December 23, 1969 and attended kindergarten when he was 3 years old.

He later started primary school at Buganda Road Primary School, where he completed Primary 7, securing 4 aggregates.

Patrick then joined St Mary’s College Kisubi for his O and A levels, from where he joined Makerere University and obtained a Bachelor of Commerce.

After graduating, he declined to look for a job in the civil service and instead decided to start a business.

“At the time of his death, he had many connections both at home and abroad. He had connections in China, Israel. One day, when he was returning from Israel, he brought me a rosary. I still have that rosary. I am very grateful to him,” said Patrick’s father.

Capital Markets Authority CEO Keith Kalyegira, who spoke on behalf of his friends and former students of St Mary’s College Kisubi, described the deceased as loyal to his friends.

“We are here today to pay tribute and commemorate the life of a dear childhood friend who was big-hearted, brilliant in his analyses, witty, passionate in his beliefs, generous and very loyal to his friends. For most of us, the connection was discussions about the economy.”

“We will remember the three obstacles: electricity, fuel and interest rates, which we will continue to discuss for a long time,” Kalyegira said.

Energy sector

In 2005, Patrick and his business partner, John Kigundu, ventured into the energy sector.

“It is the energy sector that describes Patrick. For nearly 20 years, Patrick talked about energy and invested all his efforts in the energy sector,” Kigundu stated in a message read by his son, Edwin Kigundu.

“Patrick’s house in Ntinda, the minister’s village, housed many people at the same time. That large terrace became the meeting point and the meetings revolved around energy: losses in the transmission network, tariffs, you name it. A few were irritated, not so many, many friends were made around the world, electricity rates were debated, investments in the energy sector in this country were negotiated.”

Kigundu said even when his health deteriorated, Patrick’s resilience was never affected.

“True to Patrick, the fighter in him, he refused to stop working, he kept working and moving forward. His death remains a shock. Patrick was a visionary who had big plans for himself and Uganda. He just spoke, believed and planned for tomorrow,” Kigundu said.

Patrick will be buried on Wednesday at his ancestral home in Kabale district.