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Judith Kyarisiima's casket during her send off at Katete Primary school in Katete central, Mbarara city south division on Thursday.
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Demands from the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union overshadowed grief at the burial of Judith Kyarisiima, a senior midwife at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital whose body was recovered in River Rwizi.
Kyarisiima was laid to rest under tight security on Thursday in Katete central, Mbarara city south division.
Police in the Rwizi Region retrieved her body from River Rwizi after a one-week-long search, after she disappeared from her home on September 2, 2024.
At the burial ceremony which attracted thousands of Nurses and Midwives, Birungi Annet the Secretary General of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union demanded for justice for their colleague basing on the fact that Nurses and Midwives save lives and therefore need their life rights protected.
Juliet Ankunda, the Senior Nursing Officer at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, urged nurses and midwives to model Kyarisiima’s professionalism and avoid accepting bribes in order to assist patients.
According to Ankunda, the government must stop exclusively recruiting enrolled nurses since they have now obtained degree-level qualifications and are being denied employment opportunities.
She mentioned that the government has failed to implement the president's directive to provide scholarships to nurses and midwives.
Ferediyana Tumusiime, the mother of the deceased who looked devastated, pleaded for forgiveness of whoever killed her daughter.
Kyeru Richard, the Rwizi Regional Criminal Investigations Officer, promised to handle Kyarisiima’s case with care, noting that they would use science and technology to find substantial evidence in the murder.
Kyarisiima's body arrived at Katete primary school amidst tight security by the police who ensured that no chaos erupted.
The body was accompanied by a letter from her husband Justus Nkwasibwe directing that the Church of Uganda should lead the burial service.
Prior, the lead pastor of Daystar Cathedral Church, Bishop Nathan Ibrahim, had accused the Church of Uganda of claiming Kyarisiima’s body, despite her having converted from their church to his. He noted that she had spent over 10 years praying at his church and therefore his church had the right to lead the burial service.
Ahimibisibwe Alexander, the elder brother of the deceased, said it wasn’t fair for them to seek permission from the police first before burying their sister over the issue of religion and church. He noted that Kyarisiima was born in the Catholic faith and married in the Anglican faith, so the Pentecostals had no right over her.
Kyarisima had been working at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital since 1997, gradually rising through the ranks to become a senior midwife.
She was also one of the founders of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Union and served as the General Secretary for the Central Ankole region. She leaves behind three children one boy and two girls.
