Ex-UNLA commander Bazilio Okello was patriotic—Museveni
Museveni urged the Okello's family to carry on his legacy of community building. At the same event, the President urged the Acholi to forget the past and focus on Uganda's future.
Minister Omona lays a wreath on behalf of the state. (Credit: Christopher Nyeko)
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Former Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) commander Lt. Gen. Bazilio Olara Okello was Uganda's head of state for two days, President Yoweri Museveni has said. The tomb where Olara remains were buried. (Credit: Christopher Nyeko) Olara Otunu signing on the portrait of Lt. Gen Bazilio Olara. (Credit: Christopher Nyeko)
Museveni acknowledges that after reading history, 'I discovered that, following the UNLA's takeover of Obote's government on July 27–28, 1986, the late Lt. Gen. Bazilio Olara Okello was the de facto head of state For two days, commanded the nation, but because of the recognition of seniority, he turned over command to General Tito Okello Lutwa on July 29, 1986".
Bazilio Olara-Okello (1929-January 9, 1990) was also among UNLA commanders who together with the Tanzanian army overthrew Idi Amin in 1979.
The President's remarks are contained in a letter read by northern Uganda state minister Kenneth Omona before the congregation celebrating Okello's memory at Poyamo village, Madi-Opei town council in Lamwo district on February 15, 2025.
The President reorganised Okello as a major actor in Uganda's post-independence political and military landscape.
He stated that because of Okello's tenacity in creating the Kigwa camp in Tanzania without the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees's assistance, he employed the 1,000 troops to plough the soil and produce tobacco as a cash crop for their livelihoods. According to the president, Okello's practice distinguished him from other leaders.
Museveni urged the Okello's family to carry on his legacy of community building. At the same event, the President urged the Acholi to forget the past and focus on Uganda's future.
He also rallied them to embrace government programs aimed at alleviating poverty, such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga and the Youth Livelihood Project.
Museveni praised Oklello's siblings for accepting work with NRM and encouraged them to continue their legacy and embrace patriotism.
Committed to keeping his obligations
Regarding pending pledges he made to the family, Museveni promised to fulfil all with time.
In August 2024, the President asked the Prime Minister's office to allocate resources to rehabilitate or rebuild Bazilio Olara's house in Poyama, which was occupied by the NRA in 1986.
Additionally, he promised to purchase a double-cabin pickup vehicle for Olara's widow, Paula Ataro.
The President directed the State House comptroller to rent a house for the widow in the Kampala metropolitan area for a year while she waited to return home. Olara's daughter, who has lived abroad for some time now, was recruited by Uganda's foreign service.
The president also ordered compensation for the family's encroached land.
Family's position to the government
Bazilio Orcah Olara, who represented the family in a memo during the memorial services organised under the theme: Honoring Lifetime Dedication Service to the Nation, appealed to the Government to complete the pending pledges on late Okello's gratuities and pensions, the construction of a new residence for the family, and the return of his assets, for which they, the family, claim to have submitted an inventory to the prime minister's office.
They urged that the youth of Madi-Opei be considered for State House scholarships to further their education.
Finally, they requested that the Government develop an agroprocessing mill for maize flour in Madi-Opei, as well as a technical school in the Lukung sub-county, where the community had already contributed land.
Cattle raids
Omona, who represented the President, urged the army to respond quickly to the concerns voiced by the local leader in Lamwo, who reported ongoing cattle raids reportedly orchestrated by South Sudanese.
He said the majority of Uganda's conflicts were caused by politicians or the military owing to a lack of conversation and mutual understanding.
The most pressing issue in Acholi, according to Omona, is poverty. He, therefore, encourages the region's residents to participate in wealth creation and desist from anything that can spark a war.
He also recommends people retain their animals and refrain from the practice of setting the cattle to maraud freely in the dry season, saying it places them as a soft target for thieves.
As a result, the minister urged Acholi chiefs to organise their communities to fight poverty together.
Voice of reason
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo said because of Okello's tenacity, he was a light of peace who preached for peace rather than violence, noting that all of the wars he fought were for the sake of a cause rather than for personal gain.
Dollo said the conflict has reduced Acholi to the poorest community in Uganda.
He, therefore, urged all the people in Acholi to embrace commercial agriculture and growing of high-value crops like coffee and cocoa to improve their socioeconomic condition.
Acholi Paramount Chief David Onen Acana II rallied the Acholi to maintain Acholi's 'real character', which includes truth-telling, integrity, resilience, intentional hard labour and straightforwardness.
Religious leaders advocate for morals and home care
Gulu Archbishop Raphael Wokoracah P'mony urged Ugandan officials to put people's needs over personal interests.
"All citizens should labour for the common good; the common wellbeing is the baseline; the culture of the common good is lacking; we require services that we do not require individually, such as schools, hospitals and roads. Citizens who care about one another must prioritise our country's interests over our desires," Wokoracah said.
Wokoracah also highlighted the value of a home, encouraging individuals to think about how to make a nice home.
"Home is where we find comfort. There is a loving presence, someone feels safe, and others call to check on you when you are gone for a long time. Let's make a home for ourselves and our families. The abode should help us achieve our ideal abode in paradise," he said.
He also encouraged residents to wear the garment of righteousness and integrity, pointing out that Uganda has endured several hardships since its independence in 1962.
"The struggle was led by soldiers like late Lt. Gen. Bazilio Olara, who devoted most of his lifetime and died as a soldier defending his country."
He described Bazilio Okello as a liberator whose life story is part of Ugandan history.
During Gen. Tito's regime, Bazilio Okello chaired the Uganda military council. Okello Lutwa's reign began in 1986. Olara also led the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA).
On July 27, 1985, they conducted a coup against Milton Obote's administration, seizing control. However, the National Resistance Army, led by Museveni, ended their control on January 26, 1986, when Bazilio Oklello was away.
Okello fled to Sudan, where he died suddenly in Omdurman Hospital in Khartoum in January 1990, aged sixty-two. In 2015, the Ugandan government authorised his family and relatives to bring his remains from Sudan to Uganda, where he was given a state funeral with full military honours.
The brief life of late lt. Gen Bazilio Olara Okello
Lt. Gen. Bazilio Olara Okello, son of Rwot (chief) Langoy Rwonomoi of the Poyamo clan, was born in Madi-Opie Lamwo; his mother, Lalweny, was from the Obere clan of Agoro; he went to school in Lukung and then Kitgum.
In January 1949, at the age of 19, he joined the King African Rifles and trained at the KAR East African training wing in Nakuru, Kenya. He participated in Mau Mau uprisings; he rose through the ranks as a committed army officer from the ranks of private to Lt. Gen. at the time he departed.
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