A member of the burial organizing committee and a neighbor to Ona in Asalatap village says that the committee has prepared the ground to host at least 10,000 mourners with a parking space that can accommodate more than 500 vehicles.
The day of burial for former presidential press secretary Onapito Ekomoloit is expected to be a public holiday in his home town. A member of the burial organizing committee has disclosed that there will be no work in Wera Toun Council on November 30th. The day happens to be a Saturday.
Onapito will be buried in Asalatap Village, Wera Town Council in Amuria
district. He died in Kampala on September 27, 2024, where he had been admitted after a short illness. His burial has been scheduled for November 30,
more than two months since he was pronounced dead. The unusual burial arrangements
have left some of the community members in awe and disbelief to imagine that
the remains can be preserved for months before burial.
The others are amazed at the burial site construction expected
to be complete in a few days, according to the site engineer, Joseph Andrew
Mukola. The engineer says that the works are at 10 percent to completion.
Michael Opolon, the LC3 Chairman of Wera Town Council says that
some of the community members have been wondering whether Ona’s burial was done
secretly. “I receive concerns from the community every day, seeking explanations
on burial arrangements. Some don’t believe that the dead can stay for months
before burial. Others think that the man could have been buried in Kampala,” he
says.
He says that Ona - as w he was popularly called - impacted the lives of many people in
Wera and Teso, especially through education, making them keep checking on
the progress of the burial program in the village.
Opolon notes that Ona has touched many people through his
generosity which he notes has written history and continues to write more
history even at his burial.
// cue in “It’s so much…
Cue out…have missed him.”//
Caroline Amulen, a neighbor and one of the elderly women who
saw Ona grow up from the village says the village has lost a kind-hearted person
who cared for the well-being of others in the community. She says that Ona introduced
the village to the health savings scheme, provided seed capital to savings
groups, and educated many children in the area.
“Whenever he came home, he would invite us for lunch as he enjoyed
the company of the people in the neighborhood," Amuge recounted amid tears.. "That boy loved telling stories
and would enjoy listening and sharing stories with the elders here. The last
time he came home, he took a photo with my husband and…We have lost a pillar in Wera; our hero. We used to call
him Ocusi, the name he was fondly given for his hunting skills when he was
still young, here in the village.”
Ateso bite
// cue in “Mam do ejena…
Cue out…kede yesi oboete.”//
At Ona’s home, located along the Soroti- Moroto highway,
approximately 30 kilometers away from the heart of Soroti City, mourners from
far and within keep visiting the family daily. Those who travel from very
distant places sometimes sleep for a night or two.
Ona’s sister, Dr. Joyce Nyeko Onapito says the family has
received tremendous support from different people and organizations to help
take care of the visitors at home. “We are very grateful for the support
rendered by different people and organizations. At home, Teju (Soroti Fruit
Factory) is providing food for the site constructors and visitors coming in and
out of the family,” she said.
She told our reporter that all the family members, except
for the widow and another sister who has been living overseas, have been able
to return to their various duty stations including the children of the late at
school.
Edward Ejoku, another neighbor and an elder in the clan says
that they have lost a humble man whose good virtues will remain fresh in the
minds of many people in Wera. Ejoku says that his family is enjoying the tap
water that Onapito extended from his compound to the neighbors.
“We are mourning and the pain will continue to be fresh as
long as his body is still out," he said. "It’s a very huge loss to us as the people of
Wera, but I am sure that Ona has touched the lives of many people in this country.”
// cue in “Just after one…
Cue out…ka alaije kwangin.”//
Emmanuel Enyasu, a member of the burial organizing committee
and a neighbor to Ona in Asalatap village says that the committee has prepared the
ground to host at least 10,000 mourners with a parking space that can
accommodate more than 500 vehicles.
He says that Ona’s burial will be a public holiday in Wera
Town Council and Amuria, his home district.
Ateso bite
// cue in “Mam erai etunganan…
Cue out…kesi itwaniarit noi.”//
According to Ona’s sister, the burial will be conducted
according to the will of the deceased which was written down. She notes that
Ona’s demise coincided with the preparation of the family’s mausoleum in Wera.
Ona’s tomb has been constructed as an extension of the
family’s mausoleum. Ona, as fondly remembered by his peers, was serving as a board chairman for the Uganda Nile Breweries, the same company he served as a director of communication and legal affairs for 17 years. His career started in the newsroom as a journalist who later joined politics and became an MP for Amuria County before serving as the Presidential Press secretary.
