Below is Makerere literature and film lecturer Cindy Magara’s moving and teary on the murder of her sister Susan Magara.
Dear fellow mourners, thank you for standing with us in this trying moment.
Rest in peace my lovely sister Susan, smile and laugh at the villains who have brutally killed you. For you are at peace, much as you leave us in pain, your callous killers will be haunted all the days of their lives. I laugh at them with you, for it couldn’t have been you my humble, loving, smiling apple, lovely sister.
You never quarrelled with anyone. You talked with everyone, you went about everything with gentle calm that made me admire you my sister. When things were tough Susan would say weewe! Then keep quiet. Susan your smile was your signature, that we often teased with Renatta and Redempta that these our big Panadol’s (teeth) cannot be kept inside. Smile and laugh at the greedy murderers. Oh Susan you had beautiful sense of humour.
Susan went about her everything with ease and calmness, sometimes I almost felt she was not as aggressive as I was, maybe as a bigger one I had to be aggressive or feign to be, so that my sister does not aim for anything less than what I thought she should be.
Susan’s mother died when Susan was about 15 years. Surprisingly, a couple of months before Susan’s mum died, she came to Makerere university where I was a student and asked me to go with her to visit, Susan’s younger sister Agnes Mpanga. She requested me to always take care of Susan ad her siblings. I only understood what Adyeeri meant after her passing on. From that time, I took Susan as my daughter and assured her that she has a mother in me and her aunties. I passed on her cloths. oh, Susan was always smart, she loved to dress up. I made sure I looked for the schools where she studied. I felt I had grown enough to relieve aunt Flora of the responsibility of taking care of all of us. Aunt Flora, on behalf of Susan and Dad and all of us, thank you so much for heartily taking care of Susan. Even now you were on the frontline fighting for the Susan.
Susan was (I can’t believe I am speaking in past tense), Susan was a respectful, loving, amiable, gentle soul. She listened to people and more so she listened to elders. Thanks to our Dad and our family at large where seniority by age is respected. Susan sought advise and she listened. Susan told me everything. I got to know of her boyfriend first, Susan could tell me to vet her friends and possibly if there is anyone serious I should be the one to tell our Dad. Susan loved so devotedly her best friend Nantongo Rehema who she met in S. 1 at Mariam High school is testimony to that. Even when they went to different universities, Susan would often tell me she is travelling to MUBS to visit Nantongo, she even went ahead to bring Nantongo to work in Bwendero Dairy Farm. Rehema thanks you for loving Susan. You had bounded to a level of sisters. I am so sorry for you, Rehema but let’s look unto God, lest sorrow will kill us all…
Susan studied without any hustle, she worked diligently in almost every department at Bwendero Diary farm and Nyati Rice Mills.
As a teacher lecturer of Literature and a filmmaker, I speak the truth to whoever has ears.
To the Government:
I want to say I am disappointed, almost everyone is disappointed in this country. To the president, your Excellency Y.K. Museveni please wake up because the dogs have come to the country. Before you know it, you will be ruling a bigger percentage of dogs than humans. You know in the jungle it is survival for the fittest. Kidnaps and unresolved murders have become a daily song. Please wake up before the dogs get to you. Thank you, Mr. president for your efforts and please let this be a case that will see justice served. Bantu wisdom has a saying that a stick that beats your cowife you throw it further. We are all human and we are not safe from the reckless villains.
Government of Uganda please renumerate well security personnel: the police, the military etc, our security officers instead of focusing on work, they get disorganised by little money from the offender and the offended. Nothing can be done in the name of justice without having to bribe. Basically, the offended has bribe at all levels. It is a shame that security agencies in a small country like Uganda could not save Susan and have failed on many basic incidents. The unresolved murders are growing day by day. For how long will this continue? Who is next? Please government, employ and train the brightest people in security jobs. It is a pity that our security can’t quickly decipher certain things, there is no focus, they get mixed up in rumours that they can’t follow up to conclusion. It is true that in an investigation you get hints and suspicions. You must follow each hint and approve or disapprove of it. The crooks have gotten new ways of doing things and we should measure up both technologically and in Human resource.
The telecom companies and UCC and NIRA should focus on things that matter rather switching off media houses and internet services to the population. How could our telecom companies allow mobile phones to be activated and give the user a week to verify data about them? Crime has increased yet the intention of registration was to reduce it. How can you resister more than five lines in the names of simple ordinary people who are not using those lines for business or anything substantial. Do we doubt that Trump describes Uganda best? When you are registering those lines, you collect data about the customers. You should be able to vet the number of lines an individual has. The kidnappers called our mum, Abwooli with numbers registered with fake identities. How can our telecom companies register a number of a man with an Identity card of a woman? To what extent will Uganda’s institutions continue to be ghostly? I think the real ghosts will begin walking in this country if they are not doing so already.
1. If government is people, without people there is no government. Whoever is in a position of power should look at themselves and work to clear their conscience. We can’t allow our beautiful country that prides itself for living for God to be taken to the dogs. All of us should do our bit and do it well. Otherwise we are sinking together. Currently, there is more sadness than joy in this country. We need to stop crying and begin working. All of us should protect our local investors. For example when Bwendero Diary Farm goes down thousands of people will lose a livelihood. Ladies and gentlemen, we need a collective honest dialogue to see how we can get a ‘Noahs ark’ for Uganda.
To Daddy, and the whole family
Dad it hurts, in fact I kept asking my friends to pray for us especially pray for you. Dad I can’t understand the pain of losing a child, I came close to it when I lost my mum and now when I have lost Susan. For the last one week I have cried uncontrollably. My instinct told me those murders would not stop at getting the money. Susan is the only witness to what they did, they had to KILL HER. But what can we do? It is them to battle with a heavy conscience. May all the angels of heaven come fight this battle with us. We have lived a simple free life, welcoming everyone in our family. How are we going to learn to live suspiciously? But why? Because of some wicked people around us? God let them run mad on the streets so that the whole word can know them before they kill another one.
Dad, just know you have been the best father, Susan like all of us could ever have. You did your best fighting for your child. All our uncles and aunties and friends you tried your best. God who blessed you with wisdom will give you back what you have lost. None of us your children will be Susan. May God give you another Susan. Zara Susan ondi.
Susan is in heaven illuminating the heavens with her beautiful smile. Susan, my lovely little one, I will miss you so much, your nieces and nephew will miss you so much too. I still don’t know how to explain to my children what happened to you.
I won’t rest until when I get the truth, if Uganda fails I will try America or Australia. I want to forgive on your behalf the people who have done this to us. I will do it only after I have known the truth. Only the truth will retain the usual peace in our family. Fellow mourners pray that God saves the Magaras, the entire Bunyoro and the country at large from such evil people.
Susan greet our mums when you meet them and all our relatives who have since passed on. Keep smiling my love.
Thank you all.
Cindy Magara-Lukwago
