Vitafoam proprietor passes away

The proprietor of the renowned Vitafoam mattress factory in Jinja, Justine Okeny-Bitek, 83, has passed away.

Okeny-Bitek succumbed to acute prostate cancer on Saturday evening at Kibuli Hospital in Kampala, where he had been admitted for 12 days.

James Okeny said his father died of Sepsis with acute repellent distress metastatic Prostate Carcinoma syndrome as recorded by doctors on the death certificate issued by the hospital.

Okeny aged 52, said his father passed away after he battling the illness for many years.

He said his father in February 2013 underwent surgery at a Kampala hospital in a bid to fight the cancer and have his condition improve.

Education background

According to Eromiya Olwedo aged 68, a dependent raised in the bereaved family since 1948, said Okeny-Bitek was born on April 24, 1934 to Eromiya Opiyo and Maureen Akot of Pageya-Lukomwo clan, Bungatira sub-county, Acwa County in Gulu district.

• In the 1940s, Okeny-Bitek went to St. Joseph's Junior School a Catholic founded school near Lacor in Gulu Municipality.
• He underwent several business related professional courses even when he had already established his own business.

Work experience

• In 1948, he joined Uganda Electricity Board (UEB) as a clerk for just a year.
• A year later in 1949, he joined the Uganda Police Force but resigned 10 years later.
• In 1960, Okeny-Bitek worked with the Madhvani Sugar factory as a salesman and a promotions manager.
• In 1970, he briefly joined a textile factory in Jinja and served as the import and export officer up to 1973-1975 at the time also working part time with Madhvani.
• In 1975, he left Madhvani and started the Good Year Associate Tyre Company but during Idi Amin's regime he also served at the Uganda Custodian Board.
• During the same year, Okeny-Bitek opened Vitafoam Mattress company in which he has been the managing director.

The tentative burial arrangements stand as follows

• On Wednesday, there will be a vigil at his city home in Muyenga, Kampala.
• A requiem Mass at the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Gulu Municicpality on Friday.
• On Saturday, a burial service followed by burial at Pageya-Lukome, Bungatira sub-county in Gulu district will take place.

Okeny-Bitek is survived by 25 biological children, 53 grand-children, nine great-grand-children.