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Acholi mourns UN food agency boss
Dr Patrick Oguru Otto, the Former UN Food and Agricultural Organisation sub-regional officer for Southern Africa. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Dr Patrick Oguru Otto, 62, died suddenly after surgery in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 19, 2018, following a brief illness. His remains were flown into the country on Wednesday.
- Earlier, Democratic Party president and former Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao, in a tribute said: “I join the Acholi in diaspora in mourning the death of a unique man of character and many talents."
- Dr Otto also is said to have convened several round table meetings with dignitaries, Members of Parliament, government officials and privately-owned organisations, and also negotiated with the UK government over intervention to bring lasting peace in Northern Uganda.
KAMPALA. The Acholi community on Thursday thronged All Saints Cathedral in Kampala to celebrate the life of UN FAO officer and former Kacoke Madit (KM) chairman for spearheading the peace crusade that calmed the war and yielded the current peace-dividend in northern Uganda.
Dr Patrick Oguru Otto, 62, died suddenly after surgery in Johannesburg, South Africa, on February 19, 2018, following a brief illness. His remains were flown into the country on Wednesday.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, where he worked in the public health unit, eulogized his pioneer work in minimising rising global threats of anti-microbial resistance to both animal and human health.
Dr Otto also spearheaded FAO-funded heifer ‘pass on’ project for women in Uganda and credited with uplifting the diary sector.
Earlier, Democratic Party president and former Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao, in a tribute said: “I join the Acholi in diaspora in mourning the death of a unique man of character and many talents."
He described Dr Otto as “an outstanding professional scientist and a selfless community leader who helped many Ugandans, particularly those from war-torn Acholi land settle in London.”
“He was one of the key movers of Kacokke Madit - a diaspora lobby - that compelled the international community and the Uganda government to scale up efforts at humanitarian interventions, peace building and reconstruction in Northern Uganda,” Mr Mao wrote.
Dr Otto was one of the key and influential negotiators during the life of Kacoke Madit between 1997-2000, involving northern Uganda communities, the Acholi diaspora community, the governments of Uganda and Sudan, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, the international community and other stakeholders.
Dr Otto also is said to have convened several round table meetings with dignitaries, Members of Parliament, government officials and privately-owned organisations, and also negotiated with the UK government over intervention to bring lasting peace in Northern Uganda.
Dr Otto, together with the Acholi community in the diaspora, started the Kacoke Madit (KM), a peace initiative formed as a measure to raise awareness about the plight of the conflict and finding a peaceful solution to the devastating conflict through dialogue. The first KM conference drew participants from local, cultural, religious and government leaders and the international community, and was held in London in April 1997, and subsequently in July 1998, with the last major one held in Kenya, in November 2000.
By the end of the conflict in 2006, following failed Juba peace talks between the government and the LRA, an estimated 100,000 people are estimated to have died in the war, and more than 20,000 children abducted and made child soldiers or forced into sex or marrying rebels.
The requiem mass, where the values of legacy was preached, was also attended by Northern Uganda Diocese bishop Johnson Gakumba, Public Service Commission chairman Justice Ralph Ochan, former Chua County MP Okello-Okello, and Mr Mao, among others. The Veterinary Association of Uganda had significant presence.
Dr Otto, who was born to late Y.Y. Otto and Catherine Otto of Pagen-Kal in Kitgum, leaves behind a widow and two children. A vigil was organised at his home at Muyenga-Bukasa in Kampala last night.
The body leaves for Kitgum on Friday and burial is set for Saturday at his ancestral home on the outskirts of Kitgum Town, at 11.30am.
About Dr Otto
DR Otto studied at Kitgum Primary School, Mwiri Primary School, and Busoga College Mwiri for both O and A-Level studies before joining Makerere University as one of 40 pioneer Veterinary Medicine students in 1975.
He also holds a Master in Veterinary Medicine from Bristol University, a BSc in Environmental Health from Kings College, London, and Postgraduate Diploma in Food Policy, Thames University, UK.
