Shock as Isaac Kigozi Dies Suddenly

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Shock as Isaac Kigozi Dies Suddenly

chimpreports.com

18h

Kampala, Uganda — Isaac Kigozi, a Ugandan-American entrepreneur, media executive and senior government official, has died suddenly after reportedly going to sleep and never waking up, his family said on Wednesday. He was under 40.

Confirming the death, his father, Ambassador Abbley Kigozi Walusimbi, announced the news in a statement issued on January 8.

“With a heavy heart, I must share the sorrowful news of the passing of my beloved son, Isaac Kigozi, who died today on January 8th in Uganda,” the ambassador said.

“May Allah grant him mercy and may we find patience during this difficult time.”

Kigozi headed the Trade and Investment docket in the Office of the Senior Presidential Advisor on Diaspora Affairs, under the President’s Office, a role he had held for the past three years.

Colleagues credit him with helping market Uganda as a leading investment destination, particularly among historical and professional diaspora communities, leveraging global networks to encourage investment and job creation.

Before joining government, Kigozi served as Executive Director of East African Partners (EAP), an international consultancy.

His personal motto, often cited at public engagements, was “Building Africa by Africans.”

In business, Kigozi was the President and Chief Executive Officer of E World Media Group Inc. (EWMG), which he founded in 2012. Headquartered in Los Angeles, EWMG develops reality and non-scripted television content focused on education, empowerment and social impact.

He worked with major Hollywood studios including Lionsgate, Pilgrim Studios and Asylum Entertainment as an executive producer.

In 2016, he received a Daytime Emmy nomination for Docs Africa, a wildlife series filmed in Uganda and broadcast on the ABC Network.

Kigozi’s work earned continental recognition. In 2023, he was nominated for the Forbes Africa Forty Under 40 Awards in the Governance and Government Agencies category.

A year earlier, he won the Africa Choice Awards under the Male Young Entrepreneur category.

Beyond business and government, Kigozi was active in education and philanthropy.

He served on the Board of Directors of the Islamic University in Uganda, the National Debate Council of Uganda, and the National Urban Debate League of California.

In 2016, he founded the ICARE Foundation, which focuses on treating preventable blindness.

Since 2017, the foundation has conducted 4,720 cataract surgeries, provided 12,000 eyeglasses, and carried out 74 cornea transplants across Uganda.

Ambassador Kigozi said burial will take place January 9, at 4:00 pm, at the residence of the late Haji Juma Kigozi in Bajjo Village, near Bajjo Community School, along Bombo Road in Luwero District.

“Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return,” the ambassador said.