The body of former head of National Unity Platform (NUP) legal team, Anthony Wameli who died in the US last month has been repatriated.
Wameli, 45, succumbed to the cancer of the colon on February 8, 2023 in Boston, United States of America.
His body remained stuck in Boston due to shortage of funds to repatriate it, according to family members who spoke to this publication.
About Shs 200 million was needed to get the former Bubulo East MP contestant’s body remains back to Uganda for burial, according to his family.
But in an earlier interview, NUP spokesperson, Joel Ssenyonyi, said the delay was due to the tedious paperwork process at the embassy.
“It is not true that we have not helped. We have been working with our diaspora team and everything that needs to be cleared has been taken care of. What is pending is the paperwork at the embassy and once this is done, the body will be brought into the country and we send him off,” he told this publication on February 21.
The lawyer’s body arrived at Entebbe International Airport on Friday afternoon.
According to the burial arrangements released by Mr. Ssenyonyi on Thursday, Wameli’s body would be taken to NUP head office, Makerere, Kavule at 4.30pm, Friday for public viewing in honour of his fight for human rights.
This would be followed with a vigil at his home in Kyetume, Gayaza, starting at 7pm.
On Saturday, his cortège will make a stop at Ebenezer Worship Centre in Kanyanya for body viewing and final farewell before a funeral service at Redeemed of the Lord Evangelistic Church in Kyebando at 10:00am.
The cortege will then proceed to his ancestral home in Namisindwa District in eastern Uganda where a vigil will be held.
Burial will take place on Sunday March 5, at 2:00pm following a farewell service that will be held at Namisindwa Sports Ground from 9:00am.
Wameli will be remembered for representing hundreds of NUP supporters in court, including those who were arraigned before the General Court Martial.
He also represented the leader of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Jamil Mukulu, suspects in several Muslim murder cases, former police spokesperson Felix Kaweesi murder suspects and those accused of the attempted assassination of Gen Edward Wamala.
Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde and Bobi Wine were his clients in the 2021 presidential election petition that challenged President Museveni’s victory.
The late Wameli also won the Best Criminal Lawyer of the Year Award from the Uganda Law Society for his outstanding legal services.
Equally, his law firm of Wameli & Co. Advocates in the same year won the Law Firm of the Year award from the Uganda Law Society.
