Kaziimba preaches holiness as deceased Bishop is laid to rest

According to Archbishop Kaziimba, this will result in a positive impact on society as well as a fair verdict before God.

He made the statements at the burial of Rt. Rev. George William Tibesigwa, Bishop Emeritus of the Ankole diocese, on Saturday at St. James Cathedral Ruharo in Mbarara City.

Tibesigwa, according to Kaziimba, was a wise conflict resolution counsellor and a very skilled teacher who taught him theology at Bishop Tucker Theological College in the Mukono area.

On August 9, 2023, the late bishop died at Mayanja Memorial Hospital in Mbarara City.

The country lost a great, hardworking religious leader who used his position to rally the public to embrace peace, unity, and development, said Chris Rwakasiisi, the Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Duties, who represented the chief mourner, Milly Babalanda, the Minister for Presidency, who will be remembered for his humility.

Babalanda spoke to Tibesigwa as a noble citizen and a loyal servant of God.

The late prelate's wife, Maama Efrance Tibesigwa, said he will be remembered for his simplicity, humility, time management, and friendliness.

Tibesigwa, who was born on July 17, 1945, in Ntungamo district, embraced Jesus as his personal saviour in 1957. On December 31, 1977, he married Efrance Mirembe.

He leaves behind a widow and five children.

Tibeesigwa died in the middle of the week while being treated at Mayanja Memorial Hospital, where he had been admitted.

Tibesigwa was the fourth bishop of the Ankole diocese, serving from 2007 to July 2010. He took over for retired bishop Elisha Kyamugambi and served for only three years.

Tibesigwa was the principal of Barham University College in Kabale at the time of his election. Tibesigwa was the first principal of Bishop Barhum University, a constituent college of Uganda Christian University situated in Kabale.

After the House of Bishops rejected Dr. Rev. Wilberforce Kamukama and his brother, Rev. Dr. Grace Karamura, who had been nominated to succeed Bishop Elisha Kyamugambi, his election came as a surprise to several.

Dr. Tibesigwa was the coordinator of the North Ankole Diocese University Project at the time of his death. He was a senior presidential advisor on southwestern Uganda, as well as the chairman of the boards of the Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development (HEPS-Uganda), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that promotes health and socioeconomic rights, the Eliphaz Laki Memorial Foundation, the East Africa TEE and COU Provincial Building Committee, and Chancellor Bishop Stuart University.