The senior presidential advisor on political affairs, Chango Macho w’Obanda is dead. He died Tuesday afternoon at his home in Najeera, a Kampala suburb.
His death was confirmed by his son Dr. Obanda Wanyama. Chango was 86 years at the time of his death. According to family members, he has been sickly over the last five years.
Dr. Wanyama said that the family is yet to make burial arrangements pending consultations with various people both locally and abroad. Speaking to The New Vision on phone, Dr. Wanyama said that although his father had complications that come with age, his death was sudden.
“He has been strong and was walking on his own. But this has been a combination of malaria and other complications that come with age,” said Dr. Wanyama.
Chango was a one-time National Political Commissar for the National Resistance Movement, (NRM) and served as minister of lands, water and natural resources.
He also was a Constituency Assembly Delegate representing Samia-Bugwe South and at one time held the cabinet portfolio of minister of state for minerals.
He studied from Makerere University as well as the London School of Economics (LSE) and worked at the Makerere University’s centre of extramural studies in Mbale.
He was a Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party stalwart but escaped being expelled from the party. His compatriots at that time included Kirunda Kivejinja and Jaberi Bidandi Ssali. Chango is also remembered for having spearheaded the creation of Busia and Bugiri districts in eastern Uganda.
By Raymond Baguma, The New Vision
