Prime
Ex-Amuria MP Onapito Ekomoloit is dead
Deceased: Francis Ekomoloit Onapito
What you need to know:
- Onapito surprised many when he left State House in 2006 and politics to become a corporate executive.
- He joined Nile Breweries Limited, where he spent 17 years as the brewer's iconic Legal and Corporate Affairs Director.
Veteran journalist and former legislator in the sixth Parliament, Francis Ekomoloit Onapito is dead.
The former Amuria County MP and regular panelist on KFM was announced dead on Friday morning after a short illness.
He was aged 58.
"On behalf of the Teso community and the country at large I hereby announce with deep sadness and pain [the] demise of our brother Hon Onapito Ekomoloit (RIP), a veteran journalist and former Member of Parliament Amuria county ….The rest of the details will be communicated later," the National Resistance Movement (NRM ) national vice chairman for Eastern Uganda, Mike Mukula posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The Director, Communication and Public Affairs at Parliament, Chris Obore, a close friend eulogized Onapito as a humble gentleman who was intellectually exposed.
"An icon. A gentleman. Humble. Traditionally grounded. Intellectually exposed. Teso did not deserve to lose you. It sucks & hurts. Onapito Ekomoloit!" he posted.
He served as a university lecturer and member of boards of several companies, including Nile Breweries where he once served as Legal and Corporate Affairs Director for 17 years and MTN Uganda Foundation Board of Trustees, among others.
At his sendoff ceremony from Nile Breweries last year, former trade minister Ms Amelia Kyambadde, who worked with Onapito at State House when she was the President’s principal private secretary, described him as an incredible and diligent individual.
“Despite the absence of technology at that time, Ona consistently managed to deliver news updates whenever we were in remote areas. Ona is a reserved person who does not engage in idle chatter. When approached with a question, he takes the time to evaluate before providing any response,” she noted.
Perseverance and determination against odds
In his book, Tears and Triumph, Onapito known fondly as Ona, chronicles his life, from a struggling village-raised boy from Teso, northeast Uganda, to national prominence.
Facing adversity right from a young age, including the early death of his mother, Onapito achieved what can be considered great success in later life.
After abandoning his early student ambition to become a lawyer, Onapito became a renowned journalist; served as a Member of Parliament, before working as the Press Secretary to President Yoweri Museveni who has been in power since 1986.
Onapito, however, surprised many when he left State House in 2006 and politics to become a corporate executive. He joined Nile Breweries Limited, where he spent 17 years as the brewer's iconic Legal and Corporate Affairs Director. Yet despite his success in the corporate world, Onapito never lost touch with his media roots, and remained a prominent figure on the Uganda media talk shows circuit.
His book is a testament to the power of perseverance and determination against odds.
