On a hot Saturday in August 2010, 67 people gathered in Kabukye village for an olwekobhano — a community reflection. They were blunt. Children were being neglected. Poverty was deepening. Hope was running out.
That conversation became a charity. Allan Kiwanuka, Dr David Kazungu and Mandy Luweire — all who grew up in Kabukye — led the founding. The village is in Kamuli district, in the Busoga sub-region of eastern Uganda. It gave the Trust its name.
Kabukye means "let it dawn" in Lusoga. The olwekobhano demanded a fresh start — a new dawn.
From a village conversation to a national health partner. Fifteen years. Five eras.
We run two things. A community navigation system that finds sick people and keeps them in care. And a network of medical centres that handle the cases too complex for district clinics.
If you have type 1 diabetes, sickle cell disease, or leprosy in our districts — we will find you, connect you to treatment, and stay with you.
Our navigators are case finders, care guides, and retention trackers. They map who is missing from care. They walk families to clinics. They build peer groups. They track who drops out — and bring them back.
Some cases are too complicated for the nearest health centre. A child whose blood sugar will not stabilise. Leprosy nerve damage that needs specialist review. A crisis that cannot wait.
Bright Life Centres stabilise complicated cases, provide quality medicines, run specialist reviews, and train district staff. They strengthen the public system — they do not replace it.
The team in Kamuli.
.JPG&w=828&q=75)
.JPG&w=828&q=75)
Dr David Kazungu was a co-founder of Kabukye Trust. Born in Kabukye, he served as Member of Parliament and minister in Uganda's government, and brought decades of experience in agricultural extension and community development.
David gave the land on which Kabukye Trust and Bright Life Medical Centre stand today. His generosity made our work possible.
As a long-time diabetes patient, David understood the challenges faced by people living with chronic conditions in rural Uganda. His experience inspired the Trust's decision to begin work on type 1 diabetes — a focus that has since become central to our mission.
David knew everyone in the district, and everyone knew him. He opened doors that would otherwise have stayed closed, and he did it with grace, warmth, and an unshakeable commitment to the people of Kabukye.
We miss him. His legacy continues in every child we reach.