On 1 September of this year, at the Bugando Hospital in Mwanza, Tanzania, a nobody in particular joined his ancestors. Few - family, friends and home villagers - will note, let alone mourn, his passing. Yet, to me, Naijuka Kashiwaki was a real somebody.
A fine performance in secondary school landed him at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in July 1969. That was where I met him. Inspired by Mwalimu Nyerere, he had come imbued the spirit of Pan-Africanism and socialism. Joining the main socialist student organisation on the campus, the University Students' African Revolutionary Front (USARF), right away, he distinguished himself through his commitment and fine oratory. When Yoweri Museveni, the first chairman of USARF, stepped down at the end of the year, Naijuka was elected to take his place.
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