Akokoro: Obote's languishing birthplace

Obote’s languishing birthplace

BY Frederick Kiwanuka

Akokoro, the remote trading centre in the present day Apac District, basked in the limelight during the 1960s for being the birth place of the reigning Ugandan president of the day. But the limelight did not convert into socio-economic development for the people of the area.

Years after he was removed from power for the second time in 1985, the humble one-street village, where Apollo Milton Obote was born in 1925 and buried in 2005, still remains one of Uganda’s hard-to-reach areas. It is also devoid of
almost all the modern day amenities found in other towns.

Akokoro has never seen electricity, lacks regular transport means and has no tap water, no restaurants or lodges worth their name. Not even boda bodas, which have become a common sight in all other parts of the country, can be found in Akokoro.

Almost all the buildings which are scattered in the remote trading centre are mud and wattle, save for the house which the late president built for his late mother, and another that the Government recently constructed for 89-year-old Obadia Akaki, Obote’s surviving elder brother.

Apart from Akokoro Health Centre III, Akokoro Primary School and Akokoro sub-county headquarters, the area is deprived of many social services. The nearest bank services are either in Apac town or across the River Nile in Kigumba, in the neighbouring Kiryandongo district.

For lack of other economic activities, most of the residents spend a few hours fi shing on River Nile or digging in their gardens. Some play draughts or drink waragi in small groups for the greater part of the day.

Long rough road
The journey from Kampala to Akokoro is rough, hectic and full of uncertainties, due to the poor accessibility of the place and the poor condition of the road in places. The sole bus that plies the almost impassable murrum road from Apac via Akokoro and Masindi Port charges a staggering sh25,000 for a one-way journey to Kampala.

Once you miss it, you have to postpone the journey until the next day, because it makes only one trip and returns in the evening. If you fail to catch the bus, you board any taxi or bus heading to Northern Uganda and it will drop you off a few kilometers before Kigumba. You then jump onto a boda boda that will charge you sh3,000 to take you to Masindi Port on River Nile.

The Government-run Masindi Port Kungu ferry will take you to Kungu on the Apac side of the river, a distance of three and a half nautical miles across the Nile. From here, movement to Akokoro becomes a real puzzle. By rare chance you may find a boda boda man willing to take you on condition that you pay handsomely, most likely between sh15,000 and sh20,000.

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                                                                   An eating place in Akokoro

The journey is over 30km on a potholed road, passing through thickets of the Government-owned Maruzi farm.
It is advisable to carry some snacks and water since there are neither restaurants nor well-stocked shops in Akokoro.

Obote’s people
The predominantly Langi-speaking residents of Akokoro are mostly members of the late Obote’s Oyima clan. Many of the older clan members are now dead.

Apart from Obote, his father Stanley Opeto and his mother, the other clan elders buried in Akokoro include Obote Nywaruwok, a brother to Obote, who died during Amin’s regime and Adoko Yamukuto an uncle to Obote.

These dead men’s houses appear abandoned in bushes in the centre of Akokoro, heavily contributing to the
gloomy atmosphere.

Akororo residents are not bothered by the arrival of foreigners, nor are they in a hurry to give assistance. With persuasion you can lure them into a conversation. But, they are cautious while talking about the past. For any question you ask, they give short and evasive answers.

 Much as he used to talk highly about his home town, fondly referring to it as ‘Akokoro city’ Obote who was Uganda’s prime Minister, (1962-66), President (66-71) and again president (1980-1985) never used to go to Akokoro as much as Ugandans would imagine.

“I think he came only once,” recalls 72-year-old Alfred Senyonga, a Muruli, who was born and grew up in Akokoro. Senyonga also recalls that the late Idi Amin, who overthrew Obote in 1971, fl ew to Akororo after being sworn in as president, to reassure Obote’s relatives that he would not harm them.

In terms of social –infrastructural development in Akokoro, Obote’s government is only remembered to have constructed the fi rst health unit in the area. The now dilapidated structure has since been replaced by a new health center built by the current government.

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                                                   Houses for rent in Akokoro trading centre

Obote’s brother
My interview with Obote’s surviving brother, 89-year-old Obadia Akaki flopped midway after one of the sons warned him sternly not to divulge family information to strangers. Akaki later refused to have his photograph taken: “Taking my photograph for what? Me, I am an old man, I don’t need photos,” he said.

Before the interruption, Akaki had revealed that he was depending on the Government for all his up-keep. He recently became a proud owner of one of the only two modern houses in Akokoro, courtesy of President Museveni.

As if to cut the interview short, Akaki without saying anything, pulled out a big framed photo of himself hugging president Museveni which, according to a grand son who was acting as interpreter, was taken a few years ago in Lira.

Obote’s late mother’s home is a few metres away from Akaki’s. It was also renovated by the Government. It is in the compound of this home that Obote was laid to rest beside his late grandfather, Ibrahim Akaki.

Two girls I met there were unwilling to take me to Obote’s grave. Instead they referred me to the local council leaders, who referred me to Obadia Akaki. Akaki told me nobody has been stopped from going to the grave, but he refused to send someone to guide me to the spot.

Going back to the late Obote’s mother’s home, the two girls had fled. The boda boda man who had transported me all the way from Masindi port, helped me to trace Obote’s grave by taking a small and bushy foot path behind the home. It is one of the only spots that appearneat and modern in Akokoro.

First published in Discovery Magazine (Sunday Vision) July 1, 2012:
Vision Group Resource Centre