David Tabula Kibuuka Semakula “Omugave” (born July 5th, 1932 – October 23rd 2017); was a Ugandan accountant by profession. He was born in Singo a Buganda county, towards the time of his birth, his mother the late Norah Nakaye, travelled to her mother’s home in Singo to be attended to, since at that time there weren’t many hospitals to attend to women during child birth. His father was the late Musa Tabula Katende. The couple at the time of his birth lived in Busega Kampala. Unfortunately he lost his father at the age of 5years in May 1938. In the same year, he also lost his grandfather the late James Katende Nkanga. D.T Kibuuka as he was commonly known was the last born of all the children that his father bear. The other children that his father produced; in order as they followed, Grace Nabukalu, Beat Sembeguya, Wilberforce Makanda, Charles Semakula, Robert Semakula, George Senkenge, Gladys Nalwoga, Margaret Najjuma, Jane Nakalembe, Florence Namagala, Dulukansi Namakula, D.T. Kibuuka, of course some kids were from different mothers. After his father’s death in May 1938, D.T Kibuuka remained in the custody of his mother Norah Nakaye in their father’s home in Busega Kampala. At that time, he also lived with his older sister Dulukansi Namakula and their cousin brother Christopher Kasule. In 1939, a family wrangle came up and forced D.T Kibuuka’s mother Norah Nakaye to shift to a nearby location in Kasubi. Nevertheless, she left her family behind in Busega in custody of her brother Musa Damba. D.T. Kibuuka as a child was raised by his maternal uncle Musa Damba. His immediate siblings as he was growing up were his older sister Dulukansi Namakula and his cousin brother Christopher Kasule, although he also interacted with his much older siblings on a regular basis. In 1940, he started school in Mackay Memorial Primary School in Natete Kampala. In 1946- 1948, he went to Mengo Boys Junior and Senior School from where he accomplished J.3.While in Mengo, he remembered sharing a class with his best friends at that time; the late Jack Sekajugo and the late Elly Wamala. Many times when the teacher was teaching in class, the late Jack Sekagugo used to crack jokes and made the entire class laugh and the teacher would punish them for that. While growing up, Christopher Kasule whose immediate sibling while growing who is 89years at the moment and still a resident in Busega Kampala, recalls their childhood days with a nostalgia. Each time they came back from school, they would fetch water from the well and pounded ground nuts sometimes. D.T Kibuuka as young boy was very humble, but as he grew into a teenager he became really stubborn. For instance, he recalls days when they harvested and prepared sweet potatoes for meals. Usually bigger pieces would be served to their uncle so subsequently, D.T. Kibuuka opted to cutting all sweet potatoes in to smaller pieces. Christopher kasule also recall the 1945 Riots in Buganda and the Great Famine in 1947. During this great famine, he also remembers the days they fed on bean leaves for some days. Afterwards they began setting up cassava plantations on a large scale. In 1949, D.T. Kibuuka enrolled with the Madvani Institute of Accounting – an Indian Institute in Kampala from where he graduated as a professional Accountant. In 1950, he got his first job with the Ministry of Works in Kampala as a clerical officer. In 1951, he was transferred to the Tsetse fly Control Division – Ministry of Animal Industry, Game and Fisheries and headed the Accounts Section. At that time, the Ministry Headquarters were at Wandegeya, in premises currently occupied by the Ministry of Public Service. While in the Accounts Section, he was sent to Nairobi for more training in Accounts in 1954. When he returned, he was posted to Masindi Tsetse fly Control Division where he worked for some time and then he was posted back to the Ministry Headquarters – this time in the Ministry of Animal Industry Game and Fisheries’ Accounts Department, before he was promoted to the rank of Senior Executive Officer (A). He was there after posted to the Veterinary Training Institute as an Accountant in Entebbe. The institute was still a section within the Ministry. He would be rotated in different sections within the Ministry to provide technical roles in accounting. Event when he was transferred, he still held his title of Senior Executive Officer (A) and his salary was coming from government. Sleeping Sickness historical distribution in Uganda: During the period 1900–1920, the outbreak of sleeping sickness disease posed a huge public health burden in Uganda. Sleeping sickness is a parasitic, vector-borne disease carried by the Tsetse fly and was prevalent in the Sub-Saharan Africa. Sleeping sickness records from the Medical and Sanitary reports of the Ugandan Protectorate for the period 1905-1936 that were extracted from the Ugandan Archives at that time, indicated that the disease focus had moved from lake shore (1905-1920) to the Busoga region and south-east districts. The infected Tsetse fly carried the parasite Trypanosoma brucei and caused sleeping sickness in humans. The parasite trypanosomes also caused disease in livestock and other wild animals. Sleeping sickness continued to be a significant public health burden in Uganda since its identification in 1898. Therefore there was the need for increased understanding and implementation of the disease prevention and control measures. Between approximately 1900 and 1920, Uganda experienced one of the severest epidemics of sleeping sickness ever recorded. Focused in the Buganda region along the shores of Lake Victoria and its drainage rivers, more than 200,000 people are believed to have died before the decline of the epidemic. The colonial government of the time responded with massive evacuation campaigns of up to 24km from the lake shore area. The early out breaks were attributed to transmission by the Tsetse fly spicies whose predominant habitat was river lines and gallery forests. At that time, almost the entire sub-Saharan Africa was covered by a huge forest cover. Notable places included Ssese Islands, Buvuma, Kyagwe- Mukono District, Busoga region, huge parts of northern Uganda, Western Uganda, and areas along river lines. The protectorate government was interested in developing the country by starting up improved farming methods, such as Ranching, Dairy farming and general Agriculture. There was the need to eradicate the Tsetse flies by destroying their breeding grounds, by spraying and bush clearing. Stations were created in the infected areas; the stations included departmental staff and labor. In his position as the head of Accounts Section in the Ministry of Animal Industry Game and Fisheries, the late D.T Kibuuka was in charge of the procurement of equipment and supplies and overseeing the operations, including the process of sending store to the fields, at the same time processing funds (salaries and wages) to the field staffs. In 1976, there was a general collapse of the prevention and control measures associated with unstable social-political conditions and agricultural change in Uganda and this contributed to major out breaks in the south-east. Until political conditions favored the re-establishment of the public health services and basic control measures in the early 1980s. This epidemic resulted in to the spread of the parasites in to Tororo District previously unaffected. The epidemic declined in the early 1990s in conjunction with increased stabilization of the Uganda’s economic and political situation. D.T. Kibuuka was always at the fore front of the battle against the Tsetse fly. It’s very unfortunate that this Research Tool has come in existence a couple of years after he is gone. He truly deserves a national recognition for his excellent service, dedication and commitment for the fight against the Tsetse fly. He put his life on the line for the betterment of his country. Nevertheless, in August 1985 the late D.T. Kibuuka retired from government services. In the same year, he got a job with St. Peter’s Senior Secondary School Nsambya as an Accountant, a job that he held up to 2002. He eventually fully retired at his home in Masanafu, Rubaga Division Kampala. During his retirement, he remained a life Time Treasurer at his local church; St Mark Masanafu Church of Uganda. In the letter that he wrote on the 3rd March 2012 to his family about his life journey; as he started battling a cancer disease, he concluded by these Luganda words: Nkutira abaana, abazukulu, abo’luganda nnamwe mwena abali wano, mubee nga mwagalana, muwe n’obuganda ne Kabaka wammwe, ekitibwa, mwagale Katonda. Sabasajja Kabaka awangaale. Mweraba, Mweraba Mweraba Mbadde D.T. Kibuuka "OMUGAVE" Source: Christopher Kasule- cousin, Samuel J.S Kiwanuka-nephew, Medical and Sanitary Report of the Uganda Protectorate 1905-1936.