Uganda Tour Operators grieve loss of former Chairman Everest Kayondo to COVID-19

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Uganda Tour Operators grieve loss of Everest Kayondo

The former Association of Uganda Tour Operators (AUTO) Chairman, Everest Kayondo, lost his battle to COVID-19 on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. The sad news was broken to members by the current AUTO Chair, Civy Tumusiime, via a Directors whatsapp forum.

  1. It was confirmed at the forum that Kayondo passed away at Lifeline International Hospital located in Zana on the road to Entebbe in Uganda.
  2. Kayondo was admitted to the hospital just last Saturday.
  3. He had been on oxygen for 2 days and was closely monitored by his nephew who is a medical doctor while he was at Lifeline International.

In 2019 as Chairman, Kayondo successfully championed the “Save Murchison Falls” campaign after the government had supported the licensing of the construction of a hydropower dam at Murchison Falls National Park. In December 2019, he led a group of tour operators, media, and environmentalists to the top of the falls where he held a press conference demanding that the Government of Uganda protect both the adjacent Uhuru and Murchison Falls premised on their environmental and social, as well as direct and indirect economic value to Uganda. The Energy Minister Engineer, Irene Muloni, was dropped days later and Tourism Minister Ephraim Kamuntu transferred to Ministry of Justice.  

In October 2020, Kayondo participated in the “Run for Nature” event, another campaign to save Bugoma Forest from destruction by Hoima Sugar Limited. Speaking on behalf of AUTO after the run, as if in premonition of his fate, he said: “Just imagine if corona happened without food in the villages. How would government feed us? These are challenges government should consider before they can give away the forest. We have already lost enough forest cover. We can’t afford to lose more.” He appealed to Bunyoro Kingdom, where the forest is located, to reconsider the decision to give away the forest for sugar.

Constantino Tessarin, the Chairman of the Association of the Conservation of Bugoma Forest (ACBF), paused from his break in Italy to say: “I read of the death of our friend, Mr. Everest Kayondo, former Chair of AUTO and always an open supporter of conservation. We cannot forget his words at the last ‘Run For Nature’ in October calling for halting Hoima Sugar Company [from] destroying Bugoma Forest. Others didn’t even attend for the guilty shame of their silence.

“He was a person of integrity, truth, and hard-working for all the people he represented. I know he had a dream for Uganda and his people. It is sad that we lost his presence, deeply sad. I would like to thank Mr. Kayondo for all the good he did and wish him to move forward to the next destination of his life. We all will miss him terribly. Kayondo was AUTO Chairman from 2018 to 2020 but decided not to seek another 2-year term in December 2020.”

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Tony Ofungi - eTN Uganda

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