Papa Opika Opoka, seasoned civil servant and jolly father

Born on June 6th, 1944 and died on January 31st, 2026, Simon Hector Opika Opoka was a man who lived a full life.

Devoted to God, dedicated to serving the nation in different capacities over the years, and a darling husband and father, Opoka’s deeds echoed on Christ the King Church’s walls, as mourners eulogised the great man he was.

One of the doctors who looked after him said he had suffered strokes for about four years, and “he had reached a point where he got confined to medical conditions, which we managed.”

Sadly, on the 24th of December, as the family prepared for Christmas, Opoka was admitted to Medipal International Hospital, Kololo. He was suffering from brain weakness owing to the blows that strokes had meted on him.    

“Papa died of septicaemia throughout the body,” the doctor revealed at Christ the King Church during Requiem Mass.

As a Catholic devotee, his son, Andrew Opio, said he joined the Christ the King Church fellowship in 1982, where he remained as a faithful worshipper.

“Mzee came to Kampala in 1982 and has been a member of this church. He loved his church. Every Sunday, he would put us in the car to go to church, and it was not optional,” said Opio.

He also spoke of his father as a jolly man who enjoyed laughter.

Opoka also had a love for golf and was a member of the Uganda Golf Club. “He loved golf. He registered all of us as a family in the golf club. I played golf as a child. In 2018, he called me home and asked me if I played golf. I told him, ‘I don’t have time.’ He said: ‘Make time. You have to continue my legacy.”

Fortunately, Opio started playing golf again. “He was right. Golf is a very therapeutic game. You can play when you are angry or happy, depending on the game. We will teach our children how to play golf.”

Assuring his mother, Natalie Opoka, Opio said: “Be strong, we are with you. And my siblings, let us forget our differences and stay united.”

Captain of Uganda Golf Club, Paul Charles Rukondo, spoke highly of the deceased as a friend and gentleman.

“He was disciplined and had a pursuit of excellence, the values of a true golfer. It is a great comfort to see Maama and his children following in his footsteps in Public Service. Today, as we celebrate his life, we shall remember the man who lived nearer to Thee, like the hymn goes; he has gone nearer to God.”

Man of great taste

Mzee Opoka enjoyed the finer things of life. “His drink of choice was Johnnie Walker Red or Black Label, always taken with warm water. Teacher’s Whisky, however, was strictly ceremonial, reserved for 6a.m. calls with his UK-based friend, Opio Justo “Ojoko” [RIP]. Times zones were irrelevant; ‘Teachers!’ had to be toasted,” as printed in the Order of Mass.

He will be laid to rest in Opete Sib County, Matidi, Kitgum District.

Stellar record

He began school at Kitgum Matidi Bush School in 1949 and Dure Primary School for upper primary and Vignnato Junior Secondary School between 1950 and 56.
He joined Lacor Seminary, Gulu from 1957 to 1962, where he became a deputy head prefect.

For O and A-Level, Opoka was at Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School between 1962 and 66, where he served as deputy head prefect and head prefect.

He graduated in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration. He later pursued training in Administrative Law at the Law Development Centre.

He joined the civil service in 1970, serving at both district and central government levels. Some of his posts in Moroto, Kotido, Arua and Lira included: senior administrative officer, district commissioner, undersecretary and provincial secretary.

He left Uganda in 1977, during Amin’s turbulent time and moved to Congo in Kisangani, where he worked as a teacher in mission school. In 1978, he moved with his family to Australia, where he worked with excellence in the Office of the University Secretary at La Trobe University.

Against pleas to remain in Australia, he returned home in late 1979, to work for the government as Lira District Commissioner.

Other appointments in brief

•Undersecretary in the Ministry of Education

•Permanent Secretary in 1985

•Between 1986 and 2000, he was Permanent Secretary in: Ministry of Education and Sports, Ministry of Energy, Secretary to the Judicial Service Commission, Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Women in Development, Ministry of Youth and Culture, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Secretary to Education Service Commission.