A burial ceremony for former Hillside Schools Naalya Principal Dr Henry Stanley Okia took a controversial turn after National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission Chairman Prof Tanga Odoi questioned why the educationist was buried in a suit instead of his PhD academic gown.
Dr Okia, 63, died of cardiac arrest at Case Clinic in Kampala on February 20, 2026, and was laid to rest on Sunday at Agurur II Primary School in Pallisa District, where thousands of mourners gathered to pay their final respects.
During the burial, Prof Odoi publicly questioned the decision to dress Dr Okia in a suit, arguing that his academic achievement should have been honoured by burying him in his PhD gown.
Odoi said he had missed the requiem service at Hillside Schools after President Yoweri Museveni assigned him to help calm tensions during the women’s elections.
He subsequently raised the issue of the academic gown, directing that Dr Okia’s PhD gown be returned to the Kyambogo University archives.
According to Odoi, academic gowns should not be treated as family property or inherited by relatives.
“Academic gowns are never inherited. They are buried with the achiever or handed back,” Odoi said.
The remarks sparked debate among mourners, with Odoi effectively challenging the family’s decision over how the former school principal should be dressed for his final send-off.
Dr Okia’s journey from a Grade II teacher to a PhD holder and school principal was repeatedly highlighted during the burial as a reflection of his academic and professional achievements.
Odoi Turns Burial Into Fundraising Drive
Prof Odoi later led a fundraising drive towards the construction of Kakusi Church of Uganda, a project initiated by Dr Okia.
The drive raised Shs18 million in cash and pledges.
Odoi and Dr Patrick Wakida, MP for Kabweri County and chairperson of the Bukedi Parliamentary Group, each contributed Shs5 million.
MP Patrick Ogwang Obura, who replaced Betty Among, contributed Shs3 million, while Derick Orone, MP for Gogonyo and vice chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, and Josephine Ibaseret, MP for Agule County, each contributed Shs1 million on the spot.
Adoa Questions Treatment at Case Clinic
The burial also generated another controversy after former Serere Woman MP Helen Adoa cautioned families about seeking medical treatment at Case Clinic.
Adoa referred to her own experience at the facility and questioned why Dr Okia had been taken to Case Clinic instead of the Uganda Heart Institute.
“I have a bitter testimony. They nearly operated on me but my husband refused. Why was Dr Okia rushed to Case Clinic and not to Dr Magino at Uganda Heart Institute, our own celebrated cardiologist from Pallisa?” Adoa asked.
Her comments prompted questions about Dr Okia’s final medical treatment and the circumstances surrounding his death, although her remarks did not establish that medical negligence caused his death.
Okia Remembered for Teso Culture
The Teso Paramount Chief, His Highness Paul Sande Emolot Etomoileng, described Dr Okia as an important figure in promoting Teso culture.
He said Dr Okia sponsored 15 students annually to pursue degree programmes in Ateso, making him a key supporter of efforts to preserve and promote the language and culture.
The cultural leader also called on communities in Bukedi to embrace commercial agriculture, arguing that resistance to crops such as coffee and cocoa was contributing to persistent poverty in the region.
Beyond the controversy surrounding his burial attire, mourners remembered Dr Okia as an educationist whose career stretched from teaching at Grade II level to attaining a PhD and leading one of Kampala’s established schools.
His burial, however, will be remembered in part for the unusual intervention by Prof Tanga Odoi, who insisted that the academic achievement of the late educationist should have been visibly honoured even in death.
