Nancy Oryema said when their grandfather was killed in Kampala, the body was brought to the village and none of the family members show…
By Marko Taibot
Nwoya – March 17, 2022: Forty-five years after the death of the late Erinayo Oryema Willison leaders of Nwoya district have vowed to follow the unfulfilled promises made by the government in 2014 when the government organized for the reburial of Orinayo.
Orinayo was killed together with Archbishop Janani Luwum in 1977 by Idi Amin.
The investigation by The Northern Daily (TND News) indicates that since 2014 when the government made the promise, nothing has been done.
The granddaughter of the late Orinayo, Nancy Oryema said when their grandfather was killed in Kampala, the body was brought to the village and none of the family members show it because he was buried under the strict instruction of Amin’s soldiers in 1977.
She added that he was not properly buried.
She said after the killing of her grandfather, they ran to exile in Europe and she only returned when president Museveni asked them to come back home.
She added that in 2014, the government reburied her grandfather where the President made some public pledges through former IGP, Gen Kale Kayhiura.
“The government promised to rebuild our home because the history of the destruction of the home was that UPDF was using it as their army base,” she revealed, adding that 5000 cattle were looted, which the government promised to do restocking.
“The government came and valued everything, but to date, there is nothing done. They promised to build a museum, a police academy,” Nancy told TND News.
Nancy also noted that together with the community, they requested the current IGP, Martin Okoth Ochola to establish a police out-post due to the insecurity in the area as a result of the game park and poachers.
However, she said that the police post could not be established because the land that was allocated for the construction has been contested by the locals and the matter is in court.
“We are still hoping that the government will fulfil their promise, we have written to the president and reminded him about the promise,” Nancy said.
The land wrangle on Late Orinayo Oryema’s land started in 2010 with Gen Otema but a court ruling in 2015 was in favour of the estate’s administrator of late Orinayo.
Nelson Ocira Latula, the sub-county speaker of Purong sub-county said although the promises were made when they were not elected leaders, he remembers some of the promises. He promised to follow them up with some of the members of parliament.
He said the only thing they can do as lower local government is to come up with resolutions to name streets and rename some buildings after Orinayo, Archbishop Janani Luwum, and another businessman David Oceng who was also killed in cold blood during the LRA insurgence.
“I make this proposal because these are our sons of the soil who dedicated their lives to work hard and we want to keep their legacy alive,” Ocira remarked.
Emmanuel Orach, the district chairperson Nwoya pledged to follow the records and ensure the promises made are fulfilled. “The government has got its ways of fulfilling promises,” he told this publication.
“I will follow the matter up see how to approach government” Orach said.