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In a sad tale of news, long serving state house employee James Kiggundu breathed his last last week after a long battle with kidney related illnesses. Kiggundu who worked with the Presidential Press Unit (PPU) for decades as a photographer succumbed to kidney failure at the age of 70.
Kiggundu who joined the Tarehe Sit movement and later participated in the guerrilla war that ushered in the Museveni government in 1986 document a lot of moments in Uganda’s history and his career spanned six administration with in the state house’s PPU.
Kiggundu played a crucial role in the information team of the NRA during the bush war. He captured significant moments on Camera and forming a deep connection with President Museveni. He suffered setbacks including an attack by militants, he continued with his dedication to documenting the war’s events.
When Museveni assumed power in 1986, Kiggundu returned to his private photography business in Kampala before joining the Ministry of Defense in the Information and communications department in the early 1990s. He would later become a state house photographer under the PPU and he grew through the ranks before becoming the official photographer in 1999.
Together with William Rujuta, the duo pioneered the Presidential photo library contributing significantly to documenting events from the 1960s to present. Kiggundu retired in 2014 but still continued doing contributions in managing president’s photos working until the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Taking to her social media pages, former Presidential Press Secretary Linda Nabusayi Wamboka described Kiggundu as a man who has captured so many memories of our country’s journey to the peace and freedom
Mzee James Kiggundu has rested. One of the longest serving Photographers' of State House. This is to pay homage to a man who has captured so many memories of our country's journey to the peace and freedom. REST IN PEACE Senior Comrade.😥🙏 pic.twitter.com/uXeXFTLzPG
— Nabusayi Lindah Wamboka (@lindahNabusayi) January 18, 2024
He passed away at his residence in Kabowa, leaving behind a legacy of nearly 50 years of dedication to photography. He was laid to rest at his ancestral grounds in Kanzira A village, Kigalama in Kasanda district leaving behind 17 children and grand children.
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