Thousands attend former Mayor Phillip Kivuyo burial

by Valentine Marc Nkwame

All roads led to Oloirien, last Saturday as thousands of Arusha residents flocked there to pay their last respects to the former Arusha Municipal Mayor, Phillip Kivuyo.

Kivuyo who was Arusha’s Municipality Mayor for a five year period between December 1994 and December 2000, died of heart attack last Wednesday the 5^th of November 2003 at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC) in Moshi where he was referred to from the AICC Hospital.

Born in 1948, Kivuyo had previously worked as police officer in Iringa region before joining the General Tyre East Africa Limited and later on politics. He was a member of the regional executive committee for the ruling Party.

At the time of his untimely death, Phillip Kivuyo was the ward representative for Oloirien, and chairman of the steering committee for the Sustainable Arusha Programme (SAP).

During his time in mayoral office, Counsellor Kivuyo spearheaded the sistership of Arusha municipality and the Danish County of Arhus.

The deceased left behind a widow and seven children.

Kivuyo’s body was buried next to his daughter’s, Diana-rose Kivuyo’s grave at his farm in Oloirien area of the municipality. She died about one moth ago.

The burial mass was led by the Arusha Diocese Bishop Thomas Laizer, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church to which the former mayor belonged.

Shortly before his death, Kivuyo was heading the construction committee for the establishment of the Oloirien Lutheran Church whose building had already started.

Various local, national and international figures attended the burial proceedings in Oloirien, among them, the Minister of Water and Livestock, Edward Lowassa, Regional Commissioner Mohamed Babu, Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Daniel Ole Njoolay and Member of Parliament for Arusha, Felix Christopher Mrema.

Last modified: November 14, 2003.
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