KAMPALA — Former Democratic Party Chairman, Prof. Joseph Mukiibi has died.
A close family member without giving details said Prof. Mukiibi died on Tuesday evening from a city hospital.
Democratic Party Bigwigs including Buikwe MP Dr. Lulume Bayiga has confirmed Prof. Mukiiibi’s death.
“I have heard the sad news of the death of this honourable gallant most learned statesman. Prof Joseph Mukiibi,” Dr. Bayiga wrote.
He added: Prof Mukiibi led very well as National Chairman. A straight man you could easily work with progress.
I will mourn with deep pain for losing you. But I will celebrate the opportunity I had while I worked with you as your Acting DP Secretary General. You loved the Democratic Party indeed”.
He said that Prof Mukiibi refused to dine with the dictatorship which employed his dear wife as Minister instead, but failed to ravage his marriage.
Prof. Joseph Mukiibi who is also the former Director-General of the National Agriculture Research Organization Director-General
was elected Chairperson of DP in 2005 and replaced Mzeei Boniface Byanyima, who was an anchor and voice of reason for the party over the past 25 years.
Prof. Mukiibi was a husband to former State Minister for Pensions, Benigna Mukiibi.
Prof Mukiibi has also been a plant pathologist who has published widely on tropical crop diseases.
He was Professor and head of Crop Science at Makerere University and was responsible for set up the Ugandan National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO).
He was educated at Makerere and St Andrews (UK) and has undertaken research at universities in Kenya, Tanzania, and California.
He had extensive international research experience.
He worked at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria and has since served on many boards including the IITA, the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau International (CABI), and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation (CTA).
He also led consultations on institutional reforms in African agricultural research and chairs boards of several community based organizations.
Recently, he worked in South Sudan on a project for establishing an agricultural research system in the new country.
Prof. Mukiibi was a Fellow of Uganda National Academy of Sciences.
