Jolly Mugisha Found Life, Purpose and Meaning in NUP - Matembe
Matembe described the late Mugish as a vibrant, God-fearing, and hardworking individual dedicated to both her country and her party.
Former Ethics minister Miria Matembe paid tribute to her long-time friend, Jolly Mugisha, who passed away on Monday at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.
Matembe, a former Mbarara District Woman MP, described the late Mugisha, who served as the National Unity Platform (NUP) deputy president for Western Uganda, as a vibrant, God-fearing, and hardworking individual dedicated to both her country and her party.
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"I energised Jolly," said Matembe who was speaking during a requiem service at All Saints Cathedral in Mbarara City,
"We worked together during the 17 years I spent as the Woman MP for Mbarara District. She was my right hand. Jolly should have succeeded me as the Woman MP, but although she stayed in the National Resistance Movement (NRM), she was often fought against, with people claiming she had left with me. It wasn’t until she joined NUP that she found her true calling."
Matembe spoke of the deep connection Jolly had with NUP, saying, "She found life, purpose, and meaning in leading within NUP. She loved the party so much that she would have given her life for it."
Their friendship, according to Matembe, was a bond ordained by God. Despite being seven years older than Mugisha, Matembe met her when she was just under 30.
"We were connected by God's spirit," Matembe said.
"When I met Jolly, she had just lost her husband a week earlier, leaving her with two young sons, aged six and three. From that time, we shared life, and she cared for five children until her death."
Matembe recounted humorous moments of their friendship, including a time when Jolly’s mother wanted to meet the "Matembe" she had heard so much about.
"Her mother thought I was a man," she recalled with a smile. "One night, she stayed over, and in the morning, she found two girls, Matembe and Jolly, sharing a bed. I joked that I became her 'husband,' but I assure you, I am not a lesbian. We simply shared everything."
Matembe expressed gratitude to the NUP leadership for their support when Mugisha’s health began to deteriorate.
"When Jolly collapsed, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya was with us. During her illness, my husband and I did everything we could for her over the four weeks she was unwell."
In her closing remarks, Matembe acknowledged the deep grief of losing her beloved friend but also expressed her faith.
"We are in pain and we cry, but in Jesus' name, I thank God for Jolly. He is the husband of widows and the father of orphans. Though grief may come, it is for a short time, and He still comforts us."
Jolly Mugisha, the youngest in her family, will be laid to rest on Friday at her ancestral home in Kyemporogoma, Mitooma District.