A heartfelt funeral service was held at All Saints Cathedral, Nakasero in honor of Maj. (Rtd) John Kazoora, a former bush-war hero and opposition politician who passed away on Easter Sunday.
During the service held on Wednesday, family members offered glowing tributes to President Yoweri Museveni and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) for their unwavering support during Kazoora’s long battle with illness, which spanned over two decades.
The UPDF was officially represented at the service by Gen. Sabiiti Muzeyi, a longtime family friend and head of Luwero Industries Ltd.
Senior officers Gen. Ivan Koreta and Maj. Gen. Francis Takirwa, close personal friends of Kazoora, were also acknowledged for their regular hospital visits.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa was among the dignitaries in attendance.
“The President Never Abandoned Him”
In an emotional eulogy, MP Naome Kabasharira, Kazoora’s widow, lauded President Museveni for remaining loyal to his former comrade, even during years of political divergence.
“John was stubborn, but I want to tell you that the President cannot forget people with whom he fought in the bush—especially when they fall sick,” Kabasharira told mourners.
She narrated how President Museveni’s intervention became vital when Kazoora required emergency heart surgery in Turkey, following complications from diabetes he had battled since 2003.
“I did not know what to do, so I reached out to Afande Nalweyiso, who helped me contact the President. He covered the rest of the bill,” she said, adding that both Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni personally called to extend their condolences.
She also acknowledged the UPDF for stepping in multiple times to cover medical costs.
Despite the State’s involvement, Arnold Kazoora, the eldest son, expressed sadness over the absence of many of his father’s contemporaries from the National Resistance Army (NRA) during the service.
“As the president always says, there were six batches in the NRA, and his group is unfortunately not here,” he said. “It is sad that we don’t have anybody who can come and speak about his work in that group… to tell us his story regarding what he did for the army.”
The family’s testimony strongly rebuffed claims that Kazoora had been abandoned by the State, instead painting a portrait of enduring loyalty from the President, rooted in their shared past in the bush war.
Maj. Kazoora, once a loyal NRA officer, later became an outspoken opposition figure and authored the memoir “Betrayed by My Leader.” Yet in his final years, political rivalry gave way to reconciliatory gestures—culminating in a much-publicized recent meeting with President Museveni.
