Tributes pour in as Hillside Naalya School mourn Principal Dr Okia
Dr Okia passed away on Thursday morning at Case Hospital, Kampala, shortly after undergoing a heart operation.
Dr Okia had spent over 40 years in the teaching profession, having started his journey in the early 1980s at Namutamba Primary Teachers’ College in Mityana District. (Courtesy photo)
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Vice President Jessica Alupo on Thursday led the country in mourning the death of renowned long-time Principal of Hillside Naalya School, Dr Henry Stanley Okia, who passed away on Thursday.
“Death is painful. I spoke to him to help me establish a private primary and secondary school in Katakwi district, a few weeks ago and was very impressed about the idea,” Alupo stated in a post on one of the social sites.
Dr Okia passed away on Thursday morning at Case Hospital, Kampala, shortly after undergoing a heart operation.
Prof. Godfrey Akileng of Makerere University School of Business and Management Sciences, who is a parent at the school, recalled his last interaction with the deceased, saying that on August 15, 2026, as parents, we were invited to Hillside for the cultural day; Okia accorded parents "special treatment".
Tom Okwenyi, his close friend, said Dr Okia’s passing is a great loss to the education fraternity and the nation of Uganda.
“He was a distinguished educationist, visionary school leader, mentor and a passionate advocate for academic excellence. Through his leadership, wisdom and dedication, he touched and transformed the lives of many learners, teachers, educationists and members of the wider community,” he added.
Okwenyi described Okia as a great educationist whose contribution will remain etched in the history of education in Uganda.
Dr Okia had spent over 40 years in the teaching profession, having started his journey in the early 1980s at Namutamba Primary Teachers’ College in Mityana District.
He later taught Social Studies and Mathematics to Primary Six and Seven learners. His early teaching career coincided with some of Uganda’s most turbulent periods, including the civil war of the early 1980s and the rise of the Holy Spirit Movement and the Lord’s Resistance Army in the late 1980s.
In 1988, he moved to Nakasero Primary School, where he taught Social Studies, Religious Education and English Language until 1996.
He entered the private education sector in 1997 as head teacher of Lakeside Academy Primary School in Bugonga, Entebbe, helped establish Entebbe Junior School, before moving to Hillside Schools Naalya.
At the time of his death, he had spent over 25 years at Hillside Primary School.
By press time, details about the funeral arrangements had not been communicated yet.