Fr Lokodo had travelled to Geneva to represent the chairman of the Uganda Human Rights Commission during the Universal Periodic Review working group which is reviewing Uganda's human rights record.
The former minister of Ethics and Integrity Fr Simon Lokodo has died. Fr Lokodo reportedly collapsed during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on Thursday and was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit, where he passed on this morning.
Fr Lokodo had travelled to Geneva to represent the chairman of the Uganda Human Rights Commission during the Universal Periodic Review working group which is reviewing Uganda's human rights record.
At the time of his death, Fr Lokodo was a member of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, where he was deployed by President
Yoweri Museveni after he was dropped from Cabinet. He was aged 64.
“It’s with great
shock and pain that we have learnt of the passing of our Honourable Member of
the Commission, Fr. Simon Lokodo. He passed on this morning in Geneva
Switzerland. The Commission will share details in due course,” UHRC announced through its official Twitter handle.
Crispin Kaheru, a member of the commission told URN that Fr
Lokodo left the country on Tuesday and at the time, did not have any health
complications. However, the team in Geneva reported that he started feeling
unwell during the session.
“We are told that during the session, he did not feel well.
He was taken to a hospital in Geneva. The hospital proposed that he should be
retained for further tests. Upon the results coming back, they said he should
be held. He has been in the hospital for about two days,” Kaheru said.
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Fr Lokodo served for nearly 10-years as Minister for Ethics. He previously served as state minister for industry from
2009 to 2011 when he was appointed minister for ethics. He also represented
Dodoth County in parliament and he was suspended from the priesthood by Pope
Benedict after he joined elective politics.
He held a Degree in Theology from Pontifical
Urbaniana University and a Master’s Degree in Theology obtained from the University of Rome. Other qualifications included a Diploma in Rural Sociology, a Diploma in Social Communication, Diploma in Philosophy and Social Science. He was instrumental in the enactment of the anti-pornography Act.
Joseph Kato is currently a Master's candidate at Makerere University. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Mass Communication from Kampala International University, a Diploma in Journalism and he's also a graduate in Guidance and Counseling.
