By Kevin Mubiru

Former Speaker of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has for the first time spoken about how he survived following an accident he was involved in along the Kampala northern bypass. 

The incident occurred in March 2021. The car he was driving in, a Toyota Land Cruiser 2005 Model, was damaged beyond repair. However, a police officer who arrived first and an ambulance that was on its way from Jinja saved the situation. He was rushed to TMR International Hospital, where he was unconscious for 5 days and an additional 2 weeks in the ICU. 

Kidega says he was from Liquor House and was heading home when he encountered a truck carrying sugar. That’s all I remember, he says. It was a truck carrying sugar. After gaining consciousness from the facility, Kidega says that Nobert Mao, the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, has bought a condolence book. Kidega recalls reading eulogies. This, he said, was because everyone who saw him thought he was dead. Even worse, his ward was close to that of businessman Katongole, who died that very day of COVID-19. “I am the first person to have read my own eulogies,” he said. Kidega was speaking at a gathering of stakeholders of TMR International Hospital in Naalya on October 25, 2024. “Some of my friends came with money and left it as condolence. I ate my ‘mabugo” (condeolence money),” said Kidega. He commended the facility for offering specialized services. Although there were calls to have him flown out of the country, Kidega says he insisted on being treated at home. “I have traveled the world for reviews; they said, I am okay, I am fine, nothing is wrong,” he added, commending the government for liberalizing the health sector.