US court has awarded the family of Ugandan activist Esther Nakajjigo over US$ 10.5 million (about Shs38 billion for wrongful death.
Federal US Judge, Bruce S. Jerkins announced the award in his landmark verdict delivered in Salt City, Utah on January 30, 2023.
Nakajjigo, an ambassador for Women and Girls in Uganda died tragically in an accident while exiting Arches National park in 2020. As a result, her husband Ludovic Michaud and family filed a legal suit alleging that the US Park Service was negligent in maintaining the gates at the entrances and exits to the park leading to Nakajjigo’s death.
The US government admitted fault and cause of death leading to the trial in December on the damage suffered by the family leading to Monday’s verdict. According to the judgment, US$ 9.5 million will go to Michaud and the remaining US $ 1 million to Nakajjigo’s parents. Justice Jerkin described the case as usual since neither the victim nor complainants were US citizens.
“The husband is a French citizen, employed in and a resident of the United States. The parents are citizens of Uganda, a poor and heavily populated African nation, formerly part of the British Empire. The deceased, Esther Nakajjigo was a citizen of Uganda, but at the time of her death, a United States resident, newly married to Plaintiff Ludovic Michaud,” the judge said.
Speaking about the verdict, Michaud said “This decision serves as a reminder of the proper maintenance and safety measures in our parks, so as to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.”
“The trial gave me and Essie’s family members an opportunity to tell Essie’s beautiful story and it was so important to me to have the chance to stand up and speak for this amazing woman,” he added.
Activist, Nakajjigo who doubled as Uganda’s ambassador for women and girls was at her funeral back in 2020, praised for her advocacy for the rights of women and girls and other underprivileged members of the community.
Nakajjigo, 25, the European Union leader in fighting violence against women and girls passed away on 13th June 2020 fallowing a heavy storm accident which involved a gate and a car in which she was traveling at the Arches National Park in Utah county in the United States.
Due COVID-19 restrictions that included shutting down of the international borders, her body was brought back to Uganda on Saturday August 22nd 2020 with the help of many high profile personalities, including First Lady and Education Minister Janet Museveni.
In a memorial service held at Princess Diana High School in Munyonyo, Kampala back in 2020, which was attended by among others the then Director CID, Grace Akulo, Danish Ambassador to Uganda, European Union officials, Nakajjigo was hailed for her tremendous efforts to fight violence against women and girls.
Thomas Tiedemann, the acting Head of Cooperation of European Union in Uganda at the time, who represented Uganda’s EU ambassador Atilio Pacific, praised Nakajjigo for dedicating her life to support the underprivileged.
“Esther dedicated her life to supporting the vulnerable and most underprivileged people in the society especially the youth. Esther’s outstanding service for the underprivileged members of the community, even at personal sacrifice can be traced way back when she used her personal resources to establish the Princess Diana Health Center III in Makindye, Kampala,” said Tiedemann.
The center provides free adolescent health and reproductive health services to young people.
Tiedemann said the deceased had before her passing traversed the country, reaching some of the remote corners of Uganda sensitising girls and boys on the risks of teenage pregnancies and creating opportunities for teenage mothers so they could have a second chance in life.
“One of the outstanding achievements of Esther’s work, I recall is the “Saving Innocence Challenge,” a reality TV show that saw girls from well off families go on an expedition to experience the reality of their underprivileged peers and seek to transform the lives of these disadvantaged girls,” he said.
Based on her outstanding work in Uganda, Nakajjigo was selected as one of the 16 young leaders worldwide to participate in the 2018 European Development Days (EDD) organised by the European Union institutions in Brussels, Belgium.A
Akulo praised Nakajjigo for her ideas that supported the Police in carrying out it’s mandate of fighting crime and more especially crime against women and girls.
“Esther was young but with great ideas. In 2017, she organised a programme and it was having all these girls who had dropped out of school, early marriages and connecting girls of schools like Gayaza High School, etc to these children who were already having children,” said Akulo.
“This person of Esther is God sent. She was doing the right thing for the women and girls. We shall continue to support the office of the ambassador women and girls. They already have some cases which they reported. We are ready to pursue those criminal cases which were committed. As Police force, we have lost a partner,” she added.
Prof Badru Katerega, the Vice Chancellor of Kampala University described the demise of Nakajjigo as an “irreparable loss.”
“It is an irreparable loss for all of us. I knew H.E Esther in 2014 at National Theater when both of us were being honored with plaques for our exceptional, outstanding and selfless services towards the development of our country. We were honored together and I was wondering, what a small girl received a present almost equal to mine. I got interested in her,” he said.
The two bridged the gap between themselves and began working together in diverse areas most especially the protection of a girl child from teenage pregnancies.
“From 2014 till she passed on, I have really seen a talented, inspirational, calm, intelligent, gifted young lady. I have seen her metamorphosing from nowhere to somewhere. I have seen Esther tirelessly teaching, coaching and urging students in primary and secondary schools, young adults in universities, in refugee camps, in slums to jealously protect themselves from the rampant teenage pregnancies,” Prof Badru noted.
Badru called for maintenance and revamping of her projects so that through them, she can always be remembered.
Khalid Nyonjo, the Head Teacher of Princess Diana High School said that a mentor to many girls in Uganda as well as inspiration to many girls across the globe has been lost.
“As an institution, we are so privileged that the ambassador (Esther Nakajjigo) has been our student. As an institution, we are committed to continue implementing her programmes that have enabled many young girls across the country access education,” he said.
Nakajjigo was an old student at Princess Diana High School.
She was 25 years old at the time of her death.
She was laid to rest on Tuesday August 25th 2020 at Bulegeya in Masaka district.
