Thousands of Ugandans Friday attended a state funeral service in Kampala for former president Milton Obote who died of kidney failure in a South African hospital on October 10.

Ugandan Prime Minister Apollo Nsibambi attended the funeral service which was held at Kololo Independence Grounds in east of Kampala.

As a police band played funeral hymns, mourners paid their last respects to their fallen former president.

Soon after the service, the body began a three-day journey to his ancestral home in Akokoro for burial through the eastern route.

The Ugandan government has announced Monday as a public holiday for the funeral which will be held at Akokoro in northern district of Apac.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni paid last respect to Obote at a special ceremony held at Parliament Building on Thursday afternoon.

Museveni, who extended his sincere condolences to the family of the late former president, especially Mama Miria Obote, called for principled and national reconciliation in order to heal completely the physical and emotional wounds that have dogged Uganda for a long time.

He re-emphasized the need for continued search for a national consensus and reconciliation as well as additional force of interaction that would help cross Uganda's sad chapter.

He appealed to Ugandans living in self-imposed exile outside the country, to return home or take up the opportunity of the Amnesty Law that was put in place eight years ago for those engaged in armed opposition.

Obote, born in 1924 in Akokoro in northern Uganda, served as prime minister from 1962 to 1966 and he became president until 1971. He was overthrown by Idi Amin in 1971 but Obote made a comeback and ruled again from 1980 to 1985.

However, he was once again ousted by Itto Okello. He fled to Zambia where he had lived in exile for 20 years.

Source: Xinhua