President Yoweri Museveni has paid tribute to the late Mzee. Stanley Okello for contributing to the development of Uganda and for the betterment of his family through education saying the effort made that family bring out children who have made tremendous contribution to the advancement of the Ugandan society as a whole.
The President was speaking during a memorial service for the late Stanley Okello and his late wife Manjeri Okello who were parents of the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ms. Grace Akullo who is also Director of Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Directorate in the Uganda Police Force. Other children of the deceased couple hold a diversity of jobs in the Uganda Public Service. The memorial service took place yesterday at the late Stanley Okello’s ancestral home in Arwotnyap village, Dokolo Town Council, Dokolo district in Northern Uganda’s Lango Sub-Region.
President Museveni said that by merely seeing the character and way of life of the children of the late Okello, one can easily tell what sort of person he was and what he wished the country and his family to be noting that they are a good sample of well brought up people.
Mzee Stanely Okello passed on in August this year while his wife, Manjeri Okello, died in 1986. The couple has left behind a legacy of good educationists, disciplinarians, devoted Christians and development oriented. The late couple was blessed with 18 children and 21 grandchildren.
The President used the occasion to urge the late Okello’s children and his other descendants to build from the foundation the deceased laid and work to boost what he left behind and work to realize what he did not achieve and ensure that his memory stays alive. He said that the rising of Ms. Grace Akullo through the ranks to the post of Assistant Inspector General of Police, shows that c
“We put yard sticks and follow professional standards and that’s how people, like Akullo, rose to those ranks and offices,’’ said Mr Museveni.
‘’I did not even know her name but the system identified her and I appointed her; so is Dr. Achen Jane, the Director General of Medical Services [who was present] and many others. The NRM is a merit based system; only concerned about what you can do, not who you are and the system works,” the President added.
Turning to the different demands by political leaders for Presidential interventions in different development areas, Mr. Museveni said that Government had decided to use the existing systems in implementing its development programmes in order to stop duplication of work and unnecessary waste of resources.
“I have in the past used intervention methods in different areas especially in Northern Uganda. But now, the systems exist and I have added UPDF Officers to supervise. Let us use these systems to avoid waste,” he said.
The President used the occasion to appeal to the people of Lango Sub-Region to engage in modern agriculture that is commercial oriented. He said that government, through the already deployed Army Officers throughout the country, will avail farm tools and inputs to all people free of charge. He encouraged wananchi to embrace the programme. He also revealed that government is working to avail a public secondary school per Sub-County throughout Uganda and that plans are under way to expand the eastern route to South Sudan to cater for the increased traffic.
State Minister for Northern Uganda, Hon. Rebecca Otengo, thanked the President for being a leader who has passion for the development of the region. She particularly commended him for always doing on the spot assessment of the different projects and programmes in Northern Uganda. She said that the area has made great strides in education, health and road network adding that the challenge remained in the prevalence of household poverty.
Ms. Grace Akullo thanked the President for sparing time to be with her family at the memorial service of their dear deceased parents. She commended the Government for the peace and development that her home area had realized. She said some of her relatives had died due to insecurity caused by Karimojong cattle rustlers. She expressed happiness that such form of insecurity was no more and people are living in peace.
She described her late parents as strict disciplinarians and Christians who embraced everybody. She advised all her family members to use the memory of their late parents to be more united and work to leave a lasting legacy of their works and memory.
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