KIU, Western Campus – The KIU Western Campus Guild Union has immortalized former Guild President Douglas Matovu through a tree-planting memorial held in his honour on May 30.

Matovu perished in a fatal car accident on May 20 and was laid to rest in Masaka on May 22, and even though a big delegation from KIU attended his burial, the Guild Union felt he deserved to be honoured more because of his contribution in uniting the KIU Western Campus community.

The event, which began with a prayer session in the university Staff Common room, was attended by among others the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Bushenyi District Robert Atuhairwe, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) KIU Western Campus Frank Mugisha Kaharuza and the Dean Student Affairs (DSA) Flora Bamutura. 

Others were the University Chaplain, the Dean Academic Academic Affairs Emmanuel Emiru, the Dean School of Pharmacy Dr. Sharon Igbinoba as well as Guild Union leaders, university student association leaders and members of staff.

The university chaplain Rev. Ben comforted students by telling them that Matovu’s death is actually his birth, quoting 1 Corinthians 15:36.

“When you sow a seed in the ground, it does not sprout to life unless it dies. And what you sow is a bare seed, perhaps a grain of wheat or some other grain, not the full-bodied plant that will later grow up,” he quoted. 

The DSA thanked management for the unwavering support offered to the union through this trying moment and said that Matovu was still with us.

“There is that telepathy that we don’t understand as human beings, and you might find that Douglas is here with us,” she said.

She also urged the student leaders to maintain the solidarity that Matovu always strived for.

“I was happy with the indescribable solidarity that was exhibited by the Guild Union. That solidarity should never cease and we should continue the way Douglas united us,” she noted.

The DVC challenged students to do good because it matters what we leave behind, adding that what we do lives after us.

"What we do lives after us, so we should do good. We were with him (Matovu) for 3 years and in those 3 years, we have seen leadership in him. So let's emulate him," Prof. Kaharuza advised.

The RDC noted that we remain to celebrate what he had achieved because it is not easy to lead hot-blooded people like students.

The prayer session was followed by the actual tree-planting which was done in front of the Pharmacy Block, where the RDC, DVC, DSA, Dean and the university chaplain planted a tree in Matovu’s memory.

Photo: Collins Kakwezi