'My heart is peaceful': Late MP Apolot's husband moves mourners to tears at burial

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On a solemn day in Ngora district when thousands turned up to bid farewell to their late woman MP Stella Apolot Isodo on Saturday (January 24), the huge weight of loss and grief couldn't have been felt and carried more deeply than by her husband of 27 years.

As dust swirled on a windy afternoon and mourners struggled to steady their emotions, Samuel Isodo rose to speak.

A Police officer carrying the potrait of the late MP Stella Apolot Isodo. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

What followed was not just a eulogy, but a raw, intimate testimony of love that left even the strongest of hearts weak and eyes welling up. And for a moment, the restless wind seemed to pause, as though nature itself was listening.

“She always believed I was the most handsome man,” Isodo said of his departed wife, his voice steady but fragile.

Even within an aura of collective solemness and personal grief, he managed to lighten the mood, however brief.

Samuel Isodo and their three children during burial of his late wife and mother to his children, woman MP Stella Apolot Isodo. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

“So if you think I am ugly, you are too late.”

The crowd responded with soft but teary laughter. It was the kind of humour only love, even in death, could permit.

Isodo spoke of ordinary moments that now carried unbearable meaning. “I last clipped her nails a week before she died. She liked it. She called me the best pedicurist."

Then his voice cracked. “You have left me alone.”

Anglican Bishop Of Kumi Diocese Micheal Okwi Eskahn praying for the children. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

A seasoned lawyer, devoted Pentecostal and father-of-three, Isodo told mourners that his greatest comfort lay in knowing he had loved his wife fully while she lived.

“I am happy Stella died at a time when I showed her all the love I could. There is no better way I would have loved her than what I already did. My heart is peaceful. I have no debt of love with her.”

'They are here for you'

Apolot passed away last Saturday (January 17) in hospital in Kampala after a prolonged battle with health challenges, including low blood pressure. She underwent surgery in India last year.

Vice-President Jessica Alupo laying her wreath. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

She was 51.

A member of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, Apolot's death delivered a double measure of loss to not only the people closest to her heart, but to also her political party.

She passed away only days after losing her re-election bid for the Ngora Woman MP seat to Josephine Pedun of the National Resistance Movement (NRM).

But at her funeral, politics took a back seat to allow for the celebration of a mother, colleague and friend to many. A celebration of her legacy.

Gesturing towards the crowd, Isodo reminded his beloved wife of the life she had lived in service.

“The presiding bishop is here. The entire FDC is here. The Vice-President is here. Ministers, Members of Parliament, friends from across the country you touched lives in ways I didn’t even know.”

He smiled through tears as he mentioned one of Apolot’s simple joys. “You loved the Police band so much. Today they are here for you. They have mounted a parade for you. The band played for you.”

Beside him stood their three children, weeping quietly as their father concluded: “Fare thee well, Apolot Stella Isodo, first woman of my life. At the dawn of my youth, you made me what I am today. We grew together. You gave me a family, a home, a name, a platform. Until we meet again, may God be with you.”

'She loved God deeply'

On her part, Vice-President Jessica Alupo described Apolot as a leader deeply rooted in faith and culture. She recalled her active participation in the Ateker Festival held in Soroti City three years ago, noting her pride in Iteso heritage.

“She loved God deeply. She invited me for prayers and women’s conferences in her church. Let us carry on her legacy.”

In his sermon, Bishop Dr Simon Peter Emiau, the Presiding Bishop of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God (PAG), likened Apolot to Sarah in the Bible a woman who kept her covenant with God to the end. 

He said the massive turnout at her burial was proof of a life whose candle never dimmed.

As the sun set over Ngora, Apolot was laid to rest not just as a politician or leader, but as a wife deeply loved, a mother cherished, and a woman whose life left an indelible mark on many hearts.

A gun salute in her honour was accorded to the departed legislator.