Leaders from Kabale Municipality have today eulogized the former Kabale Municipality Mayor Pius Ruhemurana as a leader who supported government programs and united different religions in Greater Kabale.
Dr. Pius Ruhemurana, a staunch follower of the FDC Party, succumbed to complications of a stroke at Rugarama Hospital in Northern Division, Kabale Municipality, at around 2 am on Wednesday this week.
According to sources at Rugarama Hospital, Ruhemurana, who died at the age of 76, battled with a stroke for over two years.
Speaking to our reporter, Izongoza Magret, the LC4 councilor representing Nyabikoni ward who was the deputy Speaker for two terms, Lydia Turyahumura, the chairperson of FDC Party Kabale district who was the deputy Mayor, and Richard Muhanguzi, the former aspirant Mayor in 2021, described the late mayor as a person who supported government programs despite being from the opposition.
They added that he served as a leader of the community rather than a particular religion or political party.
The Kabale Municipality Mayor, His Worship Emmanuel Sentaro Byamugisha, described the late mayor as a mentor for everyone, including himself.
Byamugisha commended the late mayor for his tremendous achievements, such as the construction of staff buildings at Kabale Primary School, Kabale Preparatory School, Butobere, Ndorwa, offering the land where the Bank of Uganda is now situated, and the construction of the Poster-Makanga road, among others.
The head of laity in Kabale diocese, Mr. Odo Tumukwasiibwe, who replaced the deceased, described him as a person who laid the foundation where Kabale diocese stands today.
In politics, Ruhemurana enjoyed a long career, serving as the 6th mayor of Kabale Municipality for over 20 years on the FDC ticket from 1996 to 2016.
In 2006, he famously defended his mayoral seat by defeating NRM rival George Mbonigaba in a hotly contested race.
However, in 2016, Dr. Ruhemurana lost his seat to Emmanuel Byamugisha Sentaro, the current mayor of Kabale Municipality.
