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Aparr: Loyal, spiritual and dedicated to serving his country
Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr. Photos | Courtesy
What you need to know:
- In memoriam. Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr’s career spanned more than 40 years. Aparr was the exemplary diplomat to reckon with. He died on June 10 and was buried in July after repatriating his body from Geneva, Switzerland, writes Stephen Otage.
- In 2018, Aparr coordinated the African Group of Ambassadors on humanitarian affairs and led the group, during the consultations that developed the Global Compact on Refugees. This was a historic milestone on burden and responsibility sharing of critical importance to land-refugee hosting countries such as Uganda.
In memoriam. Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr’s career spanned more than 40 years. Aparr was the exemplary diplomat to reckon with. He died on June 10 and was buried in July after repatriating his body from Geneva, Switzerland, writes Stephen Otage.
Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr, who passed on June 10 in Geneva, was by far one of Uganda’s finest diplomats and his work, networking, dedication, and service with humility earned him admiration, praise and affection. His distinguished service was recognised by the government and the various international communities with whom he worked.
Growing up in northern Uganda, the youthful Onyanga Aparr was determined to grab every chance he got to make his life better in order to influence the livelihood of others.
Born on January 1, 1948, the late envoy’s life was shaped early by his brother Ogwang Arip, a strict teacher of Maths, when he joined Aliwang Catholic Primary School, in Otuke District. The school steeped in the Catholic faith gave him his lifelong commitment to the church and motivated a life of godly service.
Aparr’s service to the Church is immeasurable. Bishop Paul Ssemwogere of Kasana Luweero Diocese, who presided over his requiem mass last month said he met the envoy more than 23 years ago and united both families in the Lord. Not one to flaunt his many accolades Aparr found pleasure in serving God. He served as a Eucharistic minister at Christ the King Parish, Kampala later becoming the leader of the laity. He served as executive of Christ the King Parish, later moving to Ntinda, where he became a frequent parishioner of St Charles Lwanga Parish.
He was also president of the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Uganda, which takes care of the poor, the needy and the vulnerable in society, and a long-time member and friend of the Pauline Family associating with the Daughters of St Paul in Kampala and contributed to the spiritual growth of 46 members. He was a member of the Rotary Club, and the Young Men Christian Association (YMCA). The envoy’s life is a distinguished example of how we should conduct ourselves as we seek to build a more just and humane society.
He was a devout Catholic who understood his faith, invested in reading religious literature, such as letters of the Popes and the lives of saints. He wanted his children to cultivate the same relationship he had with God and the Catholic Church and gave each of them a gift of the New Jerusalem Bible. His widow Margaret Keziah Onyanga attested that even while he battled with increasingly failing health over the last two years, he bore his suffering with admirable patience without complaining, attributing all to the will of God. He continued to go to work and to meetings.
Aparr with a colleague during the Uganda Independence celebrations last year.
While addressing mourners at the St Charles Lwanga Catholic Church during his requiem mass, Corn Amai, his close friend of more than 40 years, told the mourners that his friend’s brilliance won him bursaries and scholarships that helped fund his education.
Commonly known as Aparr, a nickname stemming from his mastery of Mathematics Onyanga overcame various hardships to establish a distinguished career in public service and diplomacy. Aparr was a valuable repository of knowledge and experience, which he used to found one of the best private universities in Uganda.
“His nickname Aparr comes from the ambassador’s mastery of Mathematics. There is a mathematics textbook named Parr, whose text the late Onyanga mastered letter for letter and number for number. Whenever he was given a Mathematics examination of 10 numbers, he always scored 10 marks out of the 10 questions. In Lango, they would say he scored Aparr which fit well with the Mathematics textbook,” Amai recalls.
Education-oriented
In 1984, the laity started discussing establishing a Catholic university. Knowledgeable and practical people of integrity were needed to steer the project and Aparr fit the bill. He was appointed a member of the project planning committee and tasked to prepare a project proposal to present to the bishops. The project was approved and the Uganda Martyrs University (UMU), Nkozi established on March 24, 1991.
Uganda Martyrs University is a faith-based private university owned by the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic bishops of Uganda. The university has seven faculties, one institute, three schools, three directorates; and about 5,000 students, of whom about 1,500 are full-time residents. The remaining 2,500 and 1,000 participate in distance learning and part-time programmes respectively at the university campuses in Kabale, Kampala, Masaka, Mbale and Lira. Between 1991 and 1993, he influenced the creation of the university’s branch in Ngetta, Tororo.
The ‘perpetual’ diplomat
His exemplary work as a diplomat started when President Museveni appointed him Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Ukraine and other Commonwealth Independent States in 1996, a post he filled up to 2000.
He served as ambassador to Germany, also accredited to the Vatican and Austria. In 2010, he was appointed high commissioner to Nigeria, also accredited to Senegal, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon.
From 2013 until death, he was assigned the ambassador to Switzerland (the Swiss Confederation Council in Bern) and permanent representative of Uganda to the UN, World Trade Organisation (WTO), and other international organisations in Geneva.
Henry Oryem Okello, the State minister of foreign affairs, says Aparr was instrumental in coordinating and championing the trade negotiations for agriculture and trade-in services for the group of least developing countries (LDCs) in 2014 which led to major milestones. The negotiations resulted in the first ever Uganda-led high level meeting in February 2015, where 21 developed and developing countries, accepted to offer preferential treatment to LDC services and services suppliers so as to give them a competitive edge in the export of services over non-LDCs.
That year, the ambassador led the group in successfully negotiating a 17-year Trips pharmaceutical extension to 2033, to allow LDC governments to buy cost-effective generic medicines for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and malaria. This decision has enabled continued investment in the manufacture of 51 generic pharmaceutical medicines in Uganda and other LDCs.
His expertise in handling high level negotiations was recognised and rewarded with an appointment as the president of the 63rd session of the trade and development board of UN Council. There, he steered the operationalisation of two inter-governmental meetings agreed upon at the 14th UNCTAD conference in Nairobi. This gave birth to the inter-governmental groups on e-commerce and financing for development. Today, the two meetings have provided valuable input in UNCTAD’s work in financing, development and e-commerce.
In 2018, Aparr coordinated the African Group of Ambassadors on humanitarian affairs and led the group, during the consultations that developed the Global Compact on Refugees. This was a historic milestone on burden and responsibility sharing of critical importance to land-refugee hosting countries such as Uganda.
In 2019, the group of ambassadors requested him to coordinate the group at World Intellectual Property Organisation, where he engaged to promote stronger, more accountable and transparent steps that support the utilisation of intellectual property as an enabler for growth and sustainable development in Africa and other developing parts of the world. He ensured that the group also partnered with other regional groups, and member states to advance a common objective.
Leadership legacy
Senior certified valuer, (SCV),
Registered international member (RIM) of the International Institute of Valuers,
A fellow at the Institution of Surveyors of Uganda (FISU),
Registered Surveyor of Uganda (RSU)
Honourable Secretary, Council Member of Uganda Association of Technical Professionals
Registrar/secretary/board member of the Surveyors Registration Board,
Vice secretary, vice president, presiden - Institute of Surveyors of Uganda,
Principal Valuation Consultant with Real Estate Surveyors assigned the role and duty of inspection, measurement and valuation of industrial, commercial and agricultural properties.
Board Director of Transocean (U) Limited,
At a glance
Timeline
1971: Aparr went to University of Nairobi for a Bachelor of Arts in Land Economics.
1974 to 75: He joined the Uganda Technical College previously Uganda Polytechnic, Kyambogo, where he taught Building Technology and Construction Methods, Commerce and Installations at the Department of Building and Civil Engineering
1981: Enrolled for a post graduate diploma in Public Administration at Uganda Management Institute, Kampala opening doors to his 44-year-professional life.
His professional life in government began as the government valuer and thereafter senior government valuer in charge of land and real estate appraisal for 10 years.
1984: Was appointed the chief estates officer in charge of management and protective maintenance of government properties at Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
1992 to 199: He was the principal housing officer at National Housing and Construction Corporation, carrying out the construction and management of housing estates to increase housing stock in the country.
1996-2000: Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Ukraine and other Commonwealth Independent states.
2000-2010: Ambassador to Germany, also accredited to the Vatican and Austria
2010: High Commissioner to Nigeria, also accredited to Senegal, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Cameroon.
2013 until demise: Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation Council in Bern and permanent representative of Uganda to the UN, WTO in Geneva.
