Jinja City is mourning the sudden death of Ronald Tenywa Obbo, a first-time contender for Maggwa Ward councillorship, who collapsed and died on Wednesday evening.
Obbo, a People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) flag bearer, reportedly had a history of heart-related complications, which worsened on Wednesday while he was fetching water at his home in Maggwa Village.
According to his uncle, Paulo Wambuzi, Obbo collapsed at his residence and was rushed to Bugembe Health Centre IV, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
“He had a heart condition that failed, causing him to collapse on Wednesday,” Wambuzi told Daily Monitor in a phone interview.
“We believe his condition worsened due to the hectic campaign schedule. Losing the election may also have affected him. Like many aspiring politicians, he had borrowed money, and the resulting pressure could have contributed to the stress.”
Wambuzi added that the family is still trying to come to terms with the sudden loss. “It’s a tough time for us, but we are trying to stay strong,” he said.
Obbo, aged about 37, will be laid to rest on Thursday in Busala Sub-county, Luuka District. In the Maggwa Ward elections, the deceased candidate received 44 votes.
Independent contender Bonny Buyinza won the race with 286 votes, defeating Abdallah Zain, the former speaker of the defunct Jinja Central Division, who secured 223 votes. A total of 1,112 voters took part in the polls.
Meddy Mbetyo, the National Deputy Secretary for Mobilization of FDC Eastern Uganda, expressed shock at Obbo’s death.
“I was with him in my office; we had issues to discuss, but I was surprised to hear that he had died that very day,” he said. Mbetyo added that cases of people dying mysteriously are becoming all too common and called for thorough investigations.
Mr Abdallah Zain, who contested alongside Obbo in the Maggwa Ward elections, described the death as “truly heartbreaking”. ”
He was a newcomer in politics, so young. It is truly heartbreaking to lose him at such a tender age,” he said.