PALLISA — The burial of Dr. Henry Stanley Okia, the former Principal of Hillside Schools Naalya, turned into a strong call for professionals living in Kampala to invest in their home villages and maintain a connection with their communities.
Dr. Okia, 63, who rose from a Grade II teacher to become a PhD holder and school principal, died of cardiac arrest at Case Clinic in Kampala on February 20, 2026. He was laid to rest on Sunday at Agurur II Primary School in Pallisa District, where thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects.
However, what began as a calm burial ceremony soon turned into a series of passionate speeches, with former State Minister for Works Musa Francis Ecweru taking aim at elites whom he accused of neglecting their villages.
“Some of you work in Kampala and the surrounding areas, you put on expensive suits, you speak the best selected English, but you have no home in the village, not even a hut. Where will you be buried?” Ecweru asked.
Ecweru, who said he was also a parent at Hillside Schools, urged people living in Kampala to prioritise development in their ancestral homes.
He challenged those who had travelled from Kampala for the burial to return to their villages and ensure they had a visible presence and investments there.
“You must prioritise village development,” he said.
Ecweru also warned unruly youth in Teso, saying government had given him the mandate to deal firmly with lawlessness unless they changed their behaviour.
The ceremony also took a dramatic turn when National Resistance Movement Electoral Commission Chairman Prof. Tanga Odoi questioned the decision to bury Dr. Okia in a suit instead of his academic gown.
Odoi, who said he had missed the requiem service at Hillside because President Yoweri Museveni had assigned him to help calm tensions during the women’s elections, argued that Dr. Okia’s academic achievement deserved to be recognised at his burial.
He directed that Dr. Okia’s PhD gown be returned to the Kyambogo University archives, saying academic gowns should not be treated as family property.
“Academic gowns are never inherited. They are buried with the achiever or handed back,” Odoi said.
Tanga later led a fundraising drive that raised Shs18 million in cash and pledges towards the construction of Kakusi Church of Uganda, a project initiated by Dr. Okia.
Tanga and Dr. Patrick Wakida, MP for Kabweri County and chairperson of the Bukedi Parliamentary Group, each contributed Shs5 million.
MP Patrick Ogwang Obura, who replaced Betty Among, and chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group, contributed Shs3 million, while Derick Orone, MP for Gogonyo and vice chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and Josephine Ibaseret, MP for Agule County, each contributed Shs1 million on the spot.
Former Serere Woman MP Helen Adoa also sparked debate when she took the microphone and warned families to be cautious about seeking medical treatment at Case Clinic.
“I have a bitter testimony. They nearly operated on me but my husband refused. Why was Dr. Okia rushed to Case Clinic and not to Dr. Magino at Uganda Heart Institute, our own celebrated cardiologist from Pallisa?” Adoa asked.
Her remarks raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Dr. Okia’s final treatment and his death.
The Teso Paramount Chief, His Highness Paul Sande Emolot Etomoileng, described Dr. Okia as an important figure in the promotion of Teso culture.
He said Dr. Okia sponsored 15 students every year to pursue degree programmes in Ateso, describing him as a key pillar of Teso cultural development.
The cultural leader also warned that Bukedi’s resistance to embracing crops such as coffee and cocoa was contributing to persistent poverty in the region.
Woman Member of Parliament Catherine Achola, who described Dr. Okia as her political master planner, thanked Parliament, the NRM and Hillside Schools for the support extended to the family.
Dr. Henry Nakaketo Opolot, Commissioner in the Ministry of Agriculture and a Komolo dairy farmer, delivered one of the most striking speeches at the burial while speaking on behalf of Dr. Okia’s friends.
His speech was so well received that Kibale MP Constantine Okwii reportedly asked journalists to share the video with him for reference at different forums.
Opolot criticised parents who abandon schools while refusing to contribute towards the education of their children.
“Government built classrooms but put few teachers who can’t teach 200 pupils. When you agree to pay for PTA teachers, you later say headteachers are extorting you,” he said.
He cited Hillside Schools, where Dr. Okia served as principal, saying the institution had approximately 6,000 pupils and 450 teachers, translating to roughly one teacher for every 13 learners.
He questioned why parents with large classes sometimes resist contributing towards additional teachers.
Opolot also challenged communities to embrace wealth creation and support those in need.
Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., he said Dr. Okia’s legacy should be measured not by the length of his life but by the impact he made.
“Martin Luther King said it is not how long you stay, but what you do. Okia lived a short time but left a legacy. Some live 100 years and leave nothing,” Opolot said.
He pledged 100 bags of cement towards the construction of St. John’s Church.
Bishop Calls for Preparation for Life After Death
Bukedi Emeritus Bishop Dr. Nicodemus Okile Engwalas used his sermon to remind mourners about the inevitability of death and the importance of preparing for life after death.
He said no dead person had returned to explain what death feels like.
Quoting the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, Bishop Okile said Socrates refused to escape after being sentenced to death and instead accepted his fate, demonstrating the seriousness with which he regarded the law and the inevitability of death.
Family Thanks Mourners
Timothy Okiria, the heir of Dr. Okia, thanked the people who stood with the family throughout the difficult period, from the time of his death to the burial.
Okiria, who accepted the responsibility of carrying forward Dr. Okia’s legacy, particularly thanked the management and administrators of Hillside Schools and other leaders who supported the family.
“I cannot go individual because you did it as you knew Papa that I would, in a special way, thank Hillside managers and administrators for their kindness. Hon. Achola, I cannot honestly explain the role you played, but you made us proud of what you did to the family and home,” Okiria said.
The burial brought together political, cultural, religious, education and community leaders, with speakers using Dr. Okia’s life and legacy to call for greater investment in communities, education, culture and development.
