Tears, silence, and iron resolve filled Our Lady of Africa Catholic Church, Mbuya, as Uganda said goodbye to an 18-year-old who was supposed to come home for the holidays — not in a casket.
The white casket sat at the altar of Our Lady of Africa Catholic Church, Mbuya, on Tuesday morning. Around it, generals, diplomats, police officers, and ordinary Ugandans who had never met Timothy Muganzi Magambo found themselves wiping tears. Outside, the sun was doing its normal Kampala thing. Inside, nothing was normal.
Timothy Muganzi Magambo was 18 years old. He had just completed his first year at the University at Albany, where he was pursuing a degree in Business Management and Finance. He was supposed to be celebrating. Instead, on Saturday, May 16, 2026, Timothy died after going swimming with friends near Shelter Island on Long Island in New York.
And on Tuesday, the boy came home.
“He Has Been Swimming Since He Was a Child”
When AIGP Tom Magambo Rwabudongo, Director of Uganda’s Criminal Investigations Directorate, rose to speak at his son’s requiem mass, the church held its breath. Here was a man who investigates Uganda’s hardest crimes — who, even in the days since his son drowned, had not stopped working. But for a moment on Tuesday, the detective was just a father.
Tom told mourners that Timothy had been swimming since childhood — that the water was not foreign to his son, that this was not a boy who didn’t know the deep end. He had grown up in it. He had loved it. The ocean near Shelter Island was not supposed to be an enemy. And that, perhaps, made the loss even more impossible to explain.
According to reports from U.S. authorities, Timothy was among a group of seven people swimming from Wades Beach to Shell Beach when he became separated from the rest. He later attempted to turn back toward Wades Beach. His friends noticed he was missing and alerted authorities. Rescuers later found him floating face down several hundred yards from where he was last seen. Bystanders pulled him from the water and attempted emergency rescue efforts before he was rushed to South Shore University Hospital. He did not survive.
“A Young Man of Remarkable Potential”
During the requiem mass, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire, described Timothy as a promising young man whose potential was evident to all who knew him. “The deceased, as we have learned, was a promising young man of remarkable potential, whose future held great promise and possibility. It is therefore deeply saddening that his life was cut short at such a tender age, long before he could fully realize the bright future that lay ahead of him,” Bagiire said.
Uganda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Adonia Ayebare, said he had known the deceased since he was a baby, and that he had grown to be a brilliant young man loved and respected by his peers and community, as evidenced by the overwhelming number of messages and visits.
“Born Smiling and Talking”
The family’s tribute, read aloud at the service, painted a picture of a young man whose gifts were never about grades or trophies alone. Timothy was described as “someone who seemed to be born smiling and talking,” a young man remembered for his warmth, humility, and rare compassion. “His greatest strength was his kindness,” the family wrote. “He was always willing to help, even at his own inconvenience.”
“Above all, Timothy was deeply devoted to his family,” the family wrote. “As the oldest child, he was known for his warmth, kindness, and generous spirit. He cherished time spent with his parents and younger brother.” The family further described him as someone who “loved meaningful conversation and had a natural ability to connect with others.”
Outside school, Timothy enjoyed music, gaming, stock trading, and volunteer work. He loved music, particularly “Imagine” by John Lennon and “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. A boy who played lacrosse at Pelham Memorial High School in New York. A boy who quietly volunteered at Sanyu Babies’ Home. A boy who was learning the stock market at 18 and already thinking about the world beyond himself.
“This is Our Luwero”
Gen Kahinda Otafiire, outgoing Minister of Internal Affairs, stood up at the mass and addressed Tom Magambo directly. “I understand what you are going through, it is a burning sensation. But relax and stop working man! You must have time to cry. Whatever happens and however strong you are, you must have time to cry, otherwise you will die of a heart attack,” he said.
Tom Magambo’s response was the kind that stops a room cold.
“I know that Afande Otafiire has told me to mourn, but this is our Luwero bush war. We must also fight our generational war, the way you spent all that time in the bush and many of your colleagues died,” he said. “In the same way, my colleagues and I are going to defend this country. While you see me mourning, the question is — what is bigger? Should we leave this country to disintegrate?”
A grieving father who would not stand down. A man made of something difficult to name.
Goodbye, Timothy
Timothy is survived by his parents Tom Magambo and Caroline Nalwanga, his younger brother Jonathan, grandparents Elizabeth Museeta, Proscovia Lwanga, and Francis Kaweesa, alongside extended family and friends across Uganda and the United States.
In one final reflection of the compassionate life he lived, the family requested mourners to support Sanyu Babies’ Home instead of sending flowers.
He was 18. He had only just started. And on a warm Saturday afternoon near Shelter Island, the water that he had known and loved since childhood took him somewhere none of us can follow.
Rest easy, Timothy Muganzi Magambo.
