A Balunywa, to be forcefully buried in Mityana!

By Ali Balunywa

What you are about to read is perhaps the most heartbreaking story that I have ever written. It is so tragic that I am not even quite sure how to introduce it. Some time ago, I came across an article about a Ugandan lady who had been run over by a train in America. Her names, nor the names of her parents meant nothing to me then, so I let it rest.

During the first weekend of January (5 – 6 Jan), I traveled to Iganga to visit my mother. While there, I was informed that a Dr Kiguli of Bank of Uganda had relayed the news of the death of our niece to our sister Hajati Sarah Balunywa her colleague at work. She had resettled in the US with her maternal uncle. It is then that I recalled the story I read on line from Uganda Diaspora News site. http://www.ugandandiasporanews.com/2013/01/06/a-ugandan-woman-laura-kibuuka-is-struck-killed-by-an-amtrak-train-in-attleboro-usa/

When I left Uganda in 2001, I had held some sort of peace talks with Mr. Serunkuma, the uncle to our niece, then known as Leila Kitimbo Balunywa. My late elder brother Isaac Kasiira Balunywa had sent me to him to pick Leila so she could spend her holidays with her brothers and sisters and also to get to know her family. When Leila’s mother died in the late 80s, Kate, a sister to Leila’s mother took her over. After some time, Mr. Serunkuma requested for Leila from Kate to spend sometime with him and his children.

On Monday Jan 07, the New Vision came up with more information on page 5. The story was written by Raymond Baguma and S. Balagadde, headlined; "Ugandan hit by train in US".

They wrote that a “Ugandan woman was hit by a high-speed train in the US state of Massachusetts”. In the story she was mistakenly called Laura Nakamya instead of Leila Kitimbo Kasiira. It was reported that she was aged 26 and was pursuing medicine at the University of Boston in Massachusetts.

The Amtrak Acela express train hit Leila on Wednesday January 02, 2013 near South Attleboro station at 1.15pm.

Unfortunately, none of the family members she was staying with thought it necessary to contact the Balunywa family about the death or burial arrangements!

Since that time, I have been trying to follow up; I contacted the authors of the story in the New Vision for more information. I have tried to talk to different relatives to provide a number where I could reach her uncle in the US. I was told he calls, but none had the number! It sounded so hollow to me, I decided to use my contacts in Boston to get to Mr. Serunkuma. Amazingly when I called a few people this morning, they we were attending that lumbe at Mr. Serunkuma’s home. None of the people I spoke to knew that the person whose Virgil they were attending was the late Isaac’s daughter. They were even angry that no one mentioned that at all. Actually one of the mourners called her friend in Uganda saying the girl who had died was a Balunywa look alike, but the foster parents were confusing people. I was called and I confirmed that fact.

On arrival in the US, Leila’s name was changed from Leila Kitimbo Kasiira Balunywa, to Laura Nakamya. Her religion was also changed from Islam to Christianity. Rumours here and there have it that she was a stressed girl. She kept on asking why her name was changed to Laura, why she is now a daughter of the family, yet in Uganda her father was different...these and more where questions her family refused to offer honest answers. The rail system in the western world is out of bounds for non-rail workers and is usually protected; it is highly probable that Leila could have committed suicide because of not knowing who she was!

Leila was a very bright girl and made her parents proud. Medicine is a highly respected profession which few immigrants dare study. Leila was therefore the pride of her foster parents.

To get back to the story, after a few calls to my acquaintances in Boston I got the number of the wife of Mr. Serunkuma in Boston. I compared it with the number, which was given for fundraising to return the body and found them similar. I called the lady and introduced myself to her as the brother of the late Isaac Kasiira Balunywa, the father of the now late Leila Kitimbo. I explained that since the tragedy occurred we, as Leila’s immediate family had not been consulted in any way. She did not allow me to go any further, she stated clearly to me that they were no negotiations, there would be no discussions, the late Laura would be buried on a day of their own choice at her maternal uncle’s place in Buwekula, Mityana Uganda. Period.

The authority with which she spoke left me no alternative but to wish her a very pleasant day and bid her goodbye. I am told to everyone else, the very bright Leila was her daughter and that it would be embarrassing for her to announce otherwise! The late Isaac Kasiira was a no nonsense person, let us hope it changed in the afterlife, otherwise I really sympathize with the foster parents!