Bishop Ojwang to be laid to rest on Wednesday

OBITUARY

KAMPALA - The fallen second Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Kitgum, the Rt. Rev. Benjamin Ojwang will be buried at All Saint's Cathedral cemetery in Kitgum municipality.

Ojwang, 67, succumbed to hypertension and diabetes at Kirudu Hospital in Kampala, where he had been rushed for treatment on November 11, 2019.

One of his sons, Dr. Stephen Bukenya Ojwang said his father had suffered from the diseases since 2005.

The widow, Margaret Akullu Ojwang commended her children for having stood firm during the trying moment of their father's sickness and passing.

She thanked the relatives, the family of Gen. Paul Lukech, the government through the UPDF Air Forces, for providing the military helicopter that airlifted the body of her husband to Kitgum.

Mrs. Ojwang also appreciated the Church of Uganda, friends and all well-wishers who supported the family especially in paying the medical bills and praying for them.

Soldiers of Uganda Air Force Civil Aviation carrying Bishop Ojwang's body off the plane

 
Episcopal service
The House of Bishops elected Rev. Ojwang as the second Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Kitgum in 2002. He served during the heights of the bloody war in northern Uganda, which was waged by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) under the command of Joseph Kony.

Ojwang served for 11 years but was forcefully retired before he had clocked the official mandatory age of 65 after a group of Christians purportedly plotted against him and his leadership in the diocese.

"Ojwang was a man who loved peace. He would ask for forgiveness where he was wrong and was always willing to reconcile with his enemies. He was a good preacher of the gospel of Christ. He loved singing. He especially enjoyed the set Anglican hymns and the Acholi traditional tunes. He also enjoyed the traditional Acholi vibes and dances such as Bwola royal dance and Laraka-raka," said Bishop Gakumba.

According to Gakumba, Ojwang was ordained in 1970 in the diocese of Masenu, in Kenya, where he had fled to save his life, during the bloody regime of Idd Amin after completing his studies in Theology from Bishop Tucker Theological College, Mukono. He returned to Gulu in 1980.

Before becoming Bishop of Northern Uganda, Ojwang served as the Vicar of Christ Parish (in Gulu Municipality), which was under Gulu Urban Archdeaconry.

Ojwang is survived by a widow, Margaret Akullu Ojwang, eight children (five boys and three girls), and 20 grand-children.