Get to know what happened to Abiriga and then his famous quotes
5cene of murder
According to eyewitnesses, the incident happened at around 7pm when the legislator was returning home.
“Two motorcycles came following Abiriga’s vehicle before one of them overtook the vehicle whereas the second one stayed behind,” said one of the eyewitness who preferred anonymity so as to speak freely. #abiriga#
“We heard a shower of bullets and everyone run for their life.”
According to eyewitnesses, as usual, Abiriga had slowed down to greet locals at his village as he returned from work.
It is said that as the occupants of the first motorcycle sprayed bullets on Abiriga’s vehicle, the second one fired bullets in the air to disperse people.
After being showered with bullets, the legislator’s vehicle hit a tree.
At the scene, bullet holes could be seen on both doors of the yellow beetle as well as the front car screen.
WHO IS ABIRIGA?
He wore yellow from head to toe. He will be remembered for a number of things including his vocal support for the removal of the presidential age-limit.
Yet he was also a friendly and humorous fellow.
In 2015 Ibrahim Abiriga, then Yumbe Resident District Commissioner resigned to join politics.
Abiriga resigned two weeks ago to focus on his campaigns on the Arua Municipality MP seat.
Abiriga became famous when he urinated on the wall of ministry of Finance on September 25, 2017 and was later charged with being a public nuisance and appeared before Grade one Magistrate Beatrice Khainza.
“I was badly off. Should I have kept urine on myself? What is the problem with that?” Abiriga said in a televised interview at the entrance of Parliament chambers.
In 1971, Abiriga joined the army but applied to continue with school under the department of education at Grammar Secondary School where he completed Ordinary Level.
After nine months of training, Abiriga was deployed in the Secret Service at Makindye Military Police in Kampala.
In 1967 he sat for his Primary Leaving Examinations at Rhino Camp Primary School
In 1973 he sat for his Uganda Certificate Examinations at Kampala Grammar Secondary
He later went on to do a certificate in administrative law at Uganda Christian University
And subsequently did a certificate in Public Administration at Uganda Christian University and certificate in Public Administration and management at Makerere University in 2011 and 2015 respectively.
Abiriga (middle in yellow attire) arriving for the state of the nation address at Serena Conference Centre on Wednesday, June 6
In 1956 the current Arua Municipality Member of Parliament (MP), Col. Ibrahim Abiriga was born in the West Nile region.
In 1971, he joined the Uganda Army (UA) and mostly served as the Manager of Pakuba Lodge in the present-day Murchison Falls National Park.
After the overthrow of Iddi Amin in 1979, he fled to Congo and Sudan. In exile, they formed fighting groups to fight the new successive governments in Kampala.
In 1986, the 1,200 strong UNRF joined Museveni’s NRA and were mostly formed into the NRA’s 73rd Battalion.
Ibrahim Abiriga who had also joined the NRA in 1986 rose to become the 2nd Division Administration Officer (DAO). He served in that position from 1988 to 1990 when his active military career informally ended.
A decade later, Ibrahim Abiriga contested for the Madi Okollo parliamentary seat but lost to the opposition candidate.
Consequently, President Yoweri Museveni appointed Abiriga to the position of Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Arua District.
In 2014, Abiriga was transferred from Arua to Yumbe district as the RDC.
In 2015 Ibrahim Abiriga, the Yumbe Resident District Commissioner resigned to join politics. Abiriga resigned two weeks ago to focus on his campaigns on the Arua Municipality MP seat.
However, in June 2015 he quit the position of RDC to run for Member of Parliament for Arua Municipality on the Museveni party ticket.
In September 2015, Abiriga was suspiciously nominated by the EC not in Arua but in Kampala.
In February 2016, the Electoral Commission (EC) disqualified him from contesting for the Arua Municipality.
The EC’s decision reversed the District Returning Officer’s earlier decision that had nominated him.
A week to the election day, Museveni ordered the Electoral Commission to reinstate Abiriga on the ballot paper.
Abiriga won the resultant election and until his death today, he was the MP for Arua Municipality.
ABIRIGA’S FAMOUS QUOTES
“Those near President Museveni don’t want me; they are jealous,” January 29, 2018
“Everything on me has to at least have yellow if it is not fully yellow. The plate I use, the cups, my bed is yellow, house and everything must be yellow.”
“I have just returned from DR Congo where I landed on very good yellow undergarments so I was forced to buy all the 20 left in the shop.”
“My father was a big proponent of President Museveni and he urged us always support him and the NRM”.
“There was no official recruitment then and since my father had been a soldier, he maintained that my destination was also in the army.”
“At this age, I need to associate with younger people to share in the fresh views and even when I had set out to run for only one term, I have reconsidered a second one come 2021.”
“Abiriga means hunger,” he says, “During that time, people survived on sim-sim and groundnuts paste mixed with water.”
“I was told that I never suckled my mother’s breast because I rejected it completely so it was just poured out.”
“This was no problem, we shall sit and discuss then give one person to table this Bill.”
“My colleagues from army side are calling me they are happy, they say what I have started (Age limit Bill) is good and should continue with it.”
“I don’t want to repeat my self all the time, we started the age limit thing in campaigns, we said pakalast pakalast, what do you think it means
“I was badly off, how do I keep keeping urine on me, what should I have done?”
“Uganda is still here it is not going anywhere, it will be us perishing one by one, today me, tomorrow you but Uganda is here.” September 16, 2017
“What is minister? The other day I was in Dubai going to America, the whole Airport came to me singing eh Abiriga eh Abiriga, was I a minister?” March 26, 2018
“Those saying I did not go to school, were you with Abiriga, do you know when he was born, that is serious madness,” March 28, 2018
“This parliament is not for Honorable Tinkasimire,” August 27, 2017
I was saying to the President to give us medals, a very powerful medal of NRM because we deserve it, we stood firm to say Yes in front of the speaker for the Age Limit Bill,” Feb 28, 2018
“How do you fear the voters, you are the one to direct the voters not the voters to drive you, your brain drives the voters,” Feb 28, 2018
“I see it is good, we don’t want to go two terms, to go and ask for votes, the term of seven years is enough. Five years is too short.”
“When I am passing, people are saying Abiriga Abiriga, my name is all over from the gate to parliament.”
“Yes, I know how to cook and I actually cooked for a long time. When I joined the army in 1971 around August, I was cooking for myself until 1975 when I married. But before that, I was cooking for myself. The best food even. Apart from matoke, kawunga (posho) and this cassava flour (bread) of ours, I can cook anything else.”
“I like this Afrigo band. You see, Afrigo band is good and we used to enjoy it a lot in Cape Town Villa, which is today called [Commonwealth Resort] Munyonyo. I like dancing to good music. Even on Friday we are going to Guvnor to dance.”
“I am in my sixties. I am either 62 or 61. Around there [Quick Talk reassures him he can surely handle a second wife at his age] Aaah! No no no. I can’t handle now.”
“I don’t work out and I don’t go for these gym things. I just eat, sleep, eat, sleep. That’s all. When I don’t feel good, I go and see the doctor. Exercises for what at this age? You see, I am going to die soon.