KIBALE, PALLISA — What was expected to be a requiem service for the late educationist Dr Henry Stanley Okia turned into a powerful reflection on parenting, education, wealth creation and legacy as mourners gathered at St John’s Church of Uganda, Kibale Parish in Agule Archdeaconry.
The service, held on Saturday ahead of Dr Okia’s burial, featured a sermon by Dr Henry Nakaketi Opolot, a PhD holder and dairy farmer from Komolo Village, whose message challenged parents to take greater responsibility for the education and upbringing of their children.
Dr Opolot criticised what he described as a growing tendency among parents to leave the responsibility of educating children entirely to government.
“Government has helped us by constructing classrooms and deploying teachers, but some of you, even after agreeing as parents to contribute money for PTA teachers, turn around to say school administrators are imposing extra fees,” he said.
He contrasted the situation in government schools with Hillside schools, where Dr Okia served as principal, citing the institution’s large teaching workforce as an example of what he described as the importance of investing in education.
“In Hillside, where Dr Okia has been principal, there are 6,000 pupils with 450 teachers, translating into a ratio of one teacher to 13 learners. But you whose children are 200 in a class reluctantly think they are for government,” Dr Opolot said.
His sermon attracted significant attention from mourners, with Kibale County MP Constantine Okwii asking journalists to preserve the lecture on video.
Dr Opolot also used the occasion to encourage mourners to embrace hard work, wealth creation and helping others, arguing that people should strive to create wealth not only for themselves but also to support their communities.
He described the late Dr Okia as hardworking, visionary and generous, saying Pallisa had lost a man who dedicated much of his life to education.
“Martin Luther King once said it is not how long you stay on earth that matters but what you do with the time you live that counts. Okia has lived a short time but has left a great impact and legacy,” he said.
In honour of Dr Okia’s contribution to St John’s Church, where he was a pillar, Dr Opolot pledged 100 bags of cement towards the church’s construction project.
Former Butebo District Speaker Joseph Gilbert Omugit, who taught alongside Dr Okia at Hillside, described the deceased as a man whose life demonstrated the temporary nature of material wealth.
He likened him to Alexander the Great, who, according to the story, instructed that his hands be left outside his coffin to demonstrate that people leave the world with nothing despite the wealth they accumulate.
Kibale County MP Constantine Okwii praised Dr Okia for his values and thanked Dr Opolot for what he described as an important message that could inspire people to fight poverty and strengthen community development.
Okwii also pledged 100 bags of cement towards the church project.
He commended Dr Opolot, a Catholic, for contributing to a Church of Uganda project, describing the gesture as an example of unity across religious denominations.
Okwii said Dr Okia had planned to use the school holiday period to organise continuous professional development workshops for teachers to improve academic performance.
Pallisa District Woman MP Catherine Achola also paid tribute to Dr Okia, describing him as a key figure in her life and political journey.
Achola pledged 100 bags of cement towards the cathedral construction project and said she would work with MP Okwii to purchase iron sheets for Kakusu Church of Uganda, where Dr Okia worshipped.
Counsel Paul Menya, who runs a law firm in Soroti City and spoke on behalf of the family, pledged to provide all the timber required for the church construction project.
Menya said Dr Okia constantly challenged those around him to pursue higher education.
“The challenge we now have is to go back to school to acquire PhDs. It is now only Dr Opolot with a PhD in Pallisa. The deceased used to undermine us with master’s degrees, saying we needed to wake up,” Menya said.
Hillside Family Mourns
Earlier on Friday, following a requiem service at All Saints Church of Uganda in Pallisa Town, Tom Asaba, the headteacher of Hillside Primary School Pallisa, who worked under Dr Okia for 20 years, spoke on behalf of the school’s teaching staff and pupils.
Overcome with emotion, Asaba described Dr Okia as the driving force behind the Hillside schools.
“Pallisa is grieving, yes, but our grief as Hillside family, it will kill us. This man was our brain, our spine, our compass,” Asaba said.
He said Dr Okia’s influence extended beyond Pallisa, noting that Hillside schools had grown to employ hundreds of teachers and educate thousands of pupils.
Asaba said Dr Okia had high expectations for the professional development of his staff and constantly encouraged them to pursue higher academic qualifications.
“To describe Dr Okia is to fail. He hated mediocrity. If you came to him with a diploma, he looked at you as unserious. If you had a degree, he told you now you have just started life,” he said.
Retired veterinary consultant Dr Charles Peter Otim described Dr Okia as a compassionate educationist who remained connected to disadvantaged children despite his academic achievements.
“Some of us have papers, but we have never had his heart. From Grade II to PhD, he never forgot the barefoot child,” Otim said.
Dr Okia’s son, Timothy Okiria, said the family now had a responsibility to continue and strengthen the projects their father established in Pallisa.
He also encouraged mourners to prioritise their families and remain close to their loved ones.
Okiria recalled that despite being a responsible husband, his father continued to treat him as a child and support his family, while challenging him to pursue education beyond a master’s degree.
Who Was Dr Henry Stanley Okia?
Dr Henry Stanley Okia was born on March 9, 1963, to the late Otule of the Ikaribwok Ajorok clan of Kakusu Village in Kibale Sub-county and Maria Dolosi of the Ikatekok clan of Nangaiza in Kibuku District.
An Anglican, Dr Okia began his education at Kibale Primary School before transferring to Apolot Primary School in Tororo.
He studied at Pallisa Secondary School before joining Namutumba Teachers College in Mityana, where he obtained a Grade II teaching certificate between 1980 and 1983.
He later upgraded to Grade III at Lale Teachers College in Tororo and obtained a Diploma in Primary Education from Ngetta.
He pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration and Management at Nkumba University, followed by a Master’s degree in Educational Planning, Policy and Management from Kyambogo University.
In 2009, he completed his Doctorate in Philosophy.
Throughout his career, Dr Okia worked at Narambai Road Primary School in Jinja, Nakasero Primary School, Lakeside Academy Entebbe, the Uganda National Examinations Board (UNEB) as an assistant examiner, and Junior International School as a headteacher.
He joined Hillside in 2006 and served as its principal, where he played a major role in the growth of the institution.
He is survived by his widow, Priscilla Amoding Okia, and six children.
His burial, which had initially been scheduled for Saturday, was moved to Sunday to allow residents to participate in National Cleaning Day.
