Humanist

Death has robbed us of the best of souls. Our brother in love, husband to Mrs. Betty Apio Asekenye Okiring, our eldest biological sister, Mr. Okiring Eliot Daniel, fondly known to us as Dan, has rested.

He died in the wee hours of this morning, but we are not yet certain of cause of death. As I write, his remains have been transported from his duty station in Karamoja, where he had been the head teacher of Nabilatuk Secondary School, to Soroti Hospital and we are awaiting the results of the post mortem.

To me, Dan has been the kindest of my brothers in love. I found it really easy to ask him for help. I fondly remember, while I was working with the Change Agent programme in the 1990s, I reached out to him and he assisted me with doing the translations of our training manuals from English to Ateso. We had a great time collaborating, with him educating me on written Ateso and I challenging him to make sure nothing was lost in translation.

Not only was Dan my go to person on matters the Ateso language, he was my go to person, as well, for matters farming. After all, for many years he was the Teacher of Agriculture at St. Mary’s College Kisubi. He was instrumental in helping me to establish my Alinga Farms on the land which my late father, his father in law, gifted to me in his life time.

Dan advised me on the establishment of my orchard – in planting oranges, mangoes and other trees; which advice he gave willingly and for free. I will soon embark on re-establishing my Alinga Farms and I am certain that his advice, knowledge and skills that he gifted me will be instrumental again. Yes, my original Alinga Farms was deliberately damaged by bad people, but that is a story for another day.

There was never an Owaraga family event or significant gathering at our homes that Dan would be absent. On many occasions he was our go to for master of ceremony (MC). The last ceremony at which I was with him at our family home and he was the MC, was at the burial of my late father. I remember how distinctly he was concerned about me.

Dan on the left with Chief Emmanuel George Owaraga II, my brother, his brother in love, during a marriage ceremony of one of my sisters.

Dan came over and asked me: “As the one who has been the primary caregiver of your late father for a long time during his illness, would you like to say something to the mourners?” Yes, as the MC he had found it strange that I had not been provided for in the programme. When I told him I was not in the programme he said, “let that not concern you, I will give you the time you need.” And so I said, yes, and I asked that I read my late father’s favorite Bible verse, Psalm 23, and which I had on several occasions read to the late, at his request.

I did not have a Bible with me, and so Dan went and borrowed one from the Church team. And then there was a problem. Those who didn’t want me to talk at my late father’s burial made sure the Bible was taken away from me before I could read from it. Dan did not give up. He went to his sister, my sister in love, and borrowed her smart phone. Downloaded the verse and brought his sister’s phone to me to read from it. Which I did. Remembering this particular incidenct often brings tears to my eyes, but also brings a smile on my face.

Early this year, as he did so often for us while his late father in love was still alive, Dan dropped by to see me bearing loads and loads of juicy fruit. We had a heart to heart conversation for hours during which he shared with me loads of necessary information about what my late father used to say to him about me and also about others. It was very liberating for me.

The last I saw Dan and had another interesting conversation was about four months ago when we bumped into each other in Kampala, at the taxi stage near the Railways where the Entebbe Express taxis park and pick passengers. He had come to Kampala on matters to do with UNEB and selection of candidates and was on his way back to Entebbe.

We shared a taxi and he regaled me with stories about the attitude of our people, the Karimojong, to ‘formal education’ and how he was navigating through. I had just been to visit my legal teams and so I also brought him up to speed. And so it was, our last journey together in a taxi from Kampala to Entebbe went so fast and was the most pleasant I have ever had in a 14-sitter commuter taxi.

The last journey of Dan’s remains here on earth has begun. This evening, Wednesday, 5th July 2023, there is a requiem service for his soul that will he held at his home in Lunnyo in Division A in Entebbe Municipality; followed by an all night vigil.

Dan’s remains, however, will stay at Soroti Hospital until Friday, 7th July 2023, when the cortege bearing his remains is expected to arrive at his ancestral home in Ngora Kobwin. And where his remains will be laid his final resting place on Saturday, 8th July 2023.

Dan has gone to soon, but I take comfort that his spirit has been well received by the spirits of our ancestors gone first. I believe that his spirit together with the spirits of my ancestors gone first will continue to watch over me and protect me until we meet again. May his soul find eternal rest I pray.