The
Ethur people in Abim district today,
this Sabbath gathered to painfully, prayerfully and peacefully lower the body
of their fallen national political trailblazer Hon. Clement Henry Obonyo Jabwor. The former MP who acceded to respiratory
failure on 10th May at Mulago hospital will be buried in Kiru, his
ancestral village.
Navigating
from the sidelines of this antique phenomenon, this blog takes the pallbearers and
exterior observers through the content of Mr. Obonyo’s life folder and that of
another great Athur – the late Hon.
Omwony Ojwok.
The
duo whose names fall among the greatest Ethur
who existed in recent times completed their final journey home, but left behind
historical landmarks that will continue speaking and sparkling for generations.
Born
since the eighth day of April 1944, Mr. Obonyo attended colonial primary education
between 1952 to 1960. He advanced to Sir
Samuel Baker Secondary School in northern Uganda’s Gulu district and proceeded
to Nairobi University in Kenya for a bachelor of Commerce degree from 1967 to
1969.
His
home nick-name, ‘Jabwor’ was given to Obonyo because of his reputation, amity, adoration
and trust he demonstrated among his people of Abim district. Accordingly, such
self-restraint worn for the deceased leadership trust by the Jabwor people. He
was voted in parliament between 1980 and 1985. A former minister, Mr. Obonyo
also worked in the UK as a Revenue Accountant between 1976 and 1978.
According
to most Ethur people (especially elders);
Mr. Obonyo is one leader who maintained a life of discipline until death. He
never segregated his people. He never played his political baton bearers
against each other like is common a practice among most political elders in
this Country. In this way, Obonyo remained a neutral political advisor to every
ambitious leader in Abim district.
Indeed,
in a media interview with The Daily
Monitor newspaper, Labwor County MP, Michael Ayepa testified how the
deceased played a central role in mentoring and guiding him to lead the people.
Ethur and Ugandans who knew Obonyo are
sure to have their minds reverberate for centuries with the self and public
respect, nonpartisan leadership skills the elder exhibited till death. As his body
settles below the ground today, let’s pray he rests in absolute peace in the
new world.
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On
the other hand, no true Athur, no
true Karimojong and no true Ugandan and Pan-Africanist will forget Obonyo’s
young ‘brother’, the late Hon. John Omwony Ojwok. Like “Madiba” and like ‘Jabwor’,
Ojwok’s home name is ‘Ajoo’
Born
on 1st June, 1947, Omwony Ojwok remains a legend in Uganda and
Africa. A two times political exilee, Omwony went to Morulem Boys’ Primary
School in Abim district and, Lacor Junior seminary in Gulu. He studied at St
Mary’s college Kisubi for ‘O’ level before joining Ntare School where he met
president Yoweri Museveni and Eriya Kategaya in A’ level.
Omwony
further studied at Wauwatosa East High School in Wisconsin, USA, under an exchange
programme. He also studied and graduated from Makerere University with a
bachelor of law degree in 1972.
He
lectured in more than 10 universities across the world, including the
distinguished Oxford University in the UK, and several universities in Toronto
(Canada), Nairobi (Kenya) and Dar es-Salaam (Tanzania).
Omwony
first went into exile in 1970 after a clash with Idi Amin over a press release
he issued condemning the killing of two foreign journalists in Mbarara. He fled
to Switzerland, where he pursued a Masters Degree in International Relations. He
also did a Masters in Law, specialising in Third World Investments.
In 1978, Omwony abandoned his PhD studies at the University of
Geneva and relocated to Tanzania where he alongside three other comrades; Edward
Rugumayo, Dan Nabudere and Yash Tandon organised the Moshi conference in 1979,
which brought together anti-Amin forces.
Before he died in 2007, Omwony also served as Director Uganda
AIDS Commission (1994-1999), Minister for Northern Rehabilitation (1999-2001)
and State Minister for Economic Monitoring (2001-2007).
For the people of Abim, a big vacuum remains to be filled. We are
a small group, but our visions are in-depth. Today as we burry Hon. Obonyo, may
we ponder and re-think critically on the way of refilling these gaps. The two Ethur Heros are a typical demonstration
that education is the key to social, political, cultural and economic development.
The task is now on the youth to embrace school and emulate these two fallen
elders. May they pray for Ethur from
their decent graves.
