Tuesday, 21 January 2014 23:11
RIP: Anthony Kanyike
Ugandans
on Monday woke up to news of the death of the former Buikwe West MP
Anthony Kanyike, who ardently advocated for the development of the
agricultural sector.
Kanyike was well regarded in Parliament, according to those who worked with him.
“This is a great loss to the nation,” said Agriculture Minister Tress Bucyanayandi.
Allan Kanyike, one of former MP’s sons, described his father’s death as devastating.
“He was a great caring father who will be greatly missed by the family,” Allan told The Observer today.
Born 71 years ago in what is today
Buikwe district, Anthony Kanyike was a trained agriculturalist. Before
joining Parliament, he worked in the ministry of Agriculture immediately
after university. He also worked as managing director for Total-Uganda
and Mitchell Courts as well as a human resource manager for Uganda Sugar
Corporation Limited.
“I was a senior person in the ministry
of Agriculture by the time Kanyike joined and what I can exactly
remember is that he believed in teamwork and this is what whoever had a
chance to work with him will tell you. In my capacity in the ministry he
did not supervise me but those who worked with him used to bring this
to our attention,” said Bucyanayandi, who has served the ministry since
1962.
Bucyanayandi said Kanyike’s death was a
great loss to the agricultural sector because he had been a keen
advocate for increased funding for the limping sector. In Buikwe,
Kanyike was famous for sensitizing farmers about good farming methods to
improve productivity.
“He was not only a trained
agriculturalist but a farmer who got trained and became an
agriculturalist, and … when he was working with the ministry of
Agriculture, he would lobby for farm equipments for his people,” says
Baker Ssali, the current MP for Buikwe West.
Kanyike’s continuous interaction with
farmers in Buikwe endeared him to many in the area, culminating in his
election to Parliament.
Life in politics
Kanyike first represented Buikwe West in
the Constituent Assembly in 1994. But it was not until the Sixth and
Seventh Parliaments that he rose to prominence.
“I worked with him during the ten years
he served in Parliament and I remember him as one of the best
backbenchers, who used to guide the House on matters of agriculture,”
said Bunyole East MP Emmanuel Dombo.
Dombo’s account is echoed by Bufumbira
East MP Eddie Kwizera, who remembers Kanyike as an honest and
transparent person. In Parliament, Kanyike worked as vice chairperson
and chairperson of the committee on Agriculture, which authored many
authoritative reports about the sector.
“During his leadership, I remember that
the budget to the agriculture sector was increased from 1.3 per cent to
close to 4.5 per cent,” said Bugangaizi West MP Kasirivu Atwooki, a
former chairperson of the committee.
Valley dams
In 1999, Kanyike chaired the select
committee of Parliament that was set up to probe the construction of the
dams and valley dams in the ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry
and Fisheries. The committee authored a report that pinned the then
Vice-President Specioza Wandira Kazibwe for the mismanagement of the
valley dam project.
Kasirivu, a member of that committee,
vividly remembers Kanyike’s contribution during the investigation: “He
was steadfast, transparent and thorough during the investigation process
and without doubt in my mind he played a very big role in the process
besides being the chair,” he said.
While the committee report on the
misappropriation of funds meant for the valley dam project was adopted
by Parliament, the Executive did not implement its recommendations,
which included holding the culprits accountable. However, in his
submission of April 1,1999, Kanyike said: “The responsibility of the
committee, Mr Speaker, was to make a report and recommendations to this
House which it has done.
But, Mr Speaker, Government has now come
out with a statement that they would like more time to consider the
matter contained in the report and also the recommendations in the
report. We have not been given the purpose for that request. This is an
important matter which I think the House might want to consider...we
have in our Constitution the separation of powers.
After this Parliament has considered the
report, the Executive will have to take action if it is intended that
Government takes action on the report and this recommendation after it
has reviewed them.
I think for the purposes of unity, for
the purposes of good governance, for the purposes of democracy and for
the purposes of national unity, that is a request that this House
should, I think, consider favourably -(Applause)- because at the end of
it all, ours are recommendations and a resolution that has to be
implemented by the Executive. It is important that the work of
Parliament and the work of the Executive complement each other and I
think this is where I talk about good governance because we as Members
of Parliament are also responsible to see that this country is run in
good manner.”
In 2006, Kanyike was defeated by Norman
Muwulize, who later lost the seat to Baker Ssali. Ssali told The
Observer that his constituency and Buikwe as district will always
remember Kanyike for the enormous contribution he made in the
socio-economic and political transformation of the area.
“He will always be remembered as a
father, husband and great son of the area who not only demanded what
Buikwe did for him but lived to make a contribution to its growth and
development,” Ssali said.
Kanyike is survived by a wife Robinah
Perusio Abooki Kanyike and children. Kanyike’s body will lie in state in
Parliament today for a tribute session, ahead of his burial in Buikwe
district on Friday.
skakaire@observer.ug
skakaire@observer.ug
