THE #LJfiles: Rest in Peace Ona

Ever smiling Onapito (right) and wife Cathy at a TC Fundraising dinner in Kampala in June

ONAPITO Ekomoloit was my OB and fellow veteran journalist. I got in touch with him early on September 1, 2024, confident that since he was Nile Breweries Limited's Board Chairman, I would secure a beer sponsorship for an upcoming Family fun day out. The Fun day is being organized by my sub-Parish St Angela Bugema, part of Lweza Parish, to raise funds to complete our local church.(FUN DAY Dec 8)

Ona responded promptly and provided me with a contact at Nile Breweries to send my proposal.

When I nudged him again on September 7 to inquire about progress, Ona revealed that he was ill and out of office. Board chairmen are usually overwhelmed by requests for financial help, so I wondered if he might be dodging me. Still, I wished him a speedy recovery.

Then, on September 9, two days after I nudged him again, he responded with an emoji of women dancing 💃💃, which I thought was a sign that his health was improving. I even joked about the need for him to go to the gym, so that he can compete in the 'wife carrying competition' on the family fun day scheduled for December 8.

It now turns out his health was at a worse stage than we all knew. He did not improve. It is sad there was no indication anything was out of control.

I now see he last read his messages yesterday Thursday about 15 hours Uganda time. SAD! He was alive 24 hours ago, and is now gone. LIFE!

On Friday, I noticed that, "suspicious" messages started pouring in on WhatsApp. Typically, that is an indicator that something out of the ordinary has happened, but you may not know who or what, unless you read the message.

So for about one hour I avoided reading WhatsApp messages.

When I finally dared to peep into one, it read, “Ona is gone!” Ona dead? Ona who was so full of life only three months back? Oh dear!!

At St. Peter's College Tororo, also known as TC, Ona joined in 1987 in S5, a class behind me. I sat A levels (LEG) in March 1988, making it easily to Makerere University with a B in Literature. The following year, Ona hammered the papers with AAC in HEL and after a long debate between taking Law and Mass Comm (journalism), Onapito went for what he saw as his calling. He writes in detail about this in his book "Tears & Triumph".

He was at one point asked, "Do you have to go to university to become a journalist?" by a family friend trying to convince him out of doing Mass Communications (aka journalism) at Makerere.

He went on to become one of the greatest journalists of our time. His impact in the media industry is undeniable – a prolific writer; a journalism lecturer at Makerere University; a successful presidential press secretary plus a highly accomplished corporate affairs professional.

Ona and I were among the more active members of SPECTOBA, the old Boys association of St Peter's Tororo college. He was the de-facto number two to Wilbrod Owor (former Guild President Makerere) for a while.

Ona headed the Bernard Onyango Academic Excellence Awards

Ona frequently related to me how he and I sparked the start of the well-known Bernard Onyango Academic Excellence Awards in about the year 2013.

There had been a long discussion on the proposal, and after a protracted back-and-forth by the Old Boys, the crunch time came to show "seriousness". There was a long silence until I dared put the first million into the fund to start the fundraising to enable the organization of the first awards.

Ona followed and put in the second million, and thereafter, many others joined in. He did end up rightly as chair of the BOACE awards committee. (click to read a copy of the 2014 awards booklet)

Last year at the TC Football League at Nakawa, he gave me an autographed copy of his book, “Tears and Triumph” and he wrote, "LJ, thank you for your motivational works of journalism." He indicated that a 2nd edition or follow up book was coming in which he would narrate the Bernard Onyango awards history.

In February I was also among the lucky few who attended his lovely wedding to Cathy (a Makerere Mass Com contemporary of my wife Nnalongo Lydia Mirembe), at the shores of the lake. I recall Ona singing, and showing love like never before.

Ona handled nearly everyone who interacted with him with much respect and humility. Reminds me in many ways of my uncle, Professor Charles Lwanga Olweny, first director of the Uganda Cancer Institute from 1972 until 1982. Before Ona, Olweny, also a TC Ob, trail blazed as one of the first Ugandan Board chairs of not only NBL, but also UBL, in the 70s.

Ona, like uncle, would often be frank, masking seriousness with a smile.

ONAPITO was a good human. He will be laid to rest on Saturday November 30 in Asalatap. May God Almighty bless his soul, and LET HIM REST IN PEACE. May God give peace to his family too. Bye Bye.