He was to Africa what Che Guevara was to South America
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Taju was supposed to travel to Midrand, South Africa, with us. But at the last minute, he decided to travel to Kigali, Rwanda. He was a close friend of President Paul Kagame. Kagame preferred to call him Dakitari.
Taju was the only person I know who could walk up to any president and tell them off about the messes in their countries. One time he walked up to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia and demanded to know why his country was denying Africans visas to visit that country. Speaking loudly, as he always did, he told Zenawi that Ethiopia was not his garden and for sure the next day visa restrictions were lifted.
On our way back to Uganda Tuesday night, I asked Taju's best friend, Brian Kagoro (Advocacy Director ActionAid), who was himself looking like a shell after getting the sad news, what he would say about Taju. A distant look in his eyes, Kagoro said Taju was for Africa what Che Guevara was for South America. He was involved in liberation struggles in Namibia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Nigeria.
And his last statement before he left for the airport was, according to his workmate Thomas Debe, was question, "Whose responsibility is it to liberate Africa?" We might never know the answer. As the procession headed to Taju's final resting place, Taju's youngest daughter, Aisha who is nine, asked to have the last ride in the same vehicle with her father. It was a teary moment for those who knew how much Taju loved his family.
Taju is survived by a wife, Mounira who is Tunisian, and two daughters; Aida 12 and Aisha 9.