In the quiet village of Olai in Bala Town, Kole District, a boy born in 1942 would grow into a man whose influence would stretch from Northern Uganda to the corridors of Britain’s health institutions — and back again.
That boy was David Olwa Okalo.
Today, his story stands as a testament to resilience, strategic leadership, faith, and an unwavering commitment to humanity. Over five decades, Okalo has served as a healthcare professional, planner, philanthropist and diaspora mobiliser, leaving visible footprints on institutions such as Lira Regional Referral Hospital and in communities across Lango.
A Brilliant Mind Blocked by Politics and Religion
Born on December 4, 1942, into a Christian family, Okalo was raised by a father who served as a Sub-County Chief and a mother who was a respected church leader. Discipline, faith and public service were part of daily life.
Academically gifted, he excelled in primary school, scoring 98 percent in English in the Primary Leaving Examination — among the highest in Lango at the time.
But merit alone was not enough.
He was denied admission to one secondary school for refusing re-baptism into another denomination, and another school rejected him because of political grievances linked to voting patterns in his home area.
For many, such setbacks would have ended ambition. For Okalo, they sharpened resolve.
He travelled to Kampala, secured admission elsewhere, and continued his studies. The experience, he says, taught him strategy, resilience and the importance of overcoming structural barriers
A Calling Sparked at Mulago
His journey into healthcare was shaped by events at Mulago Hospital during a nurses’ strike. As government appealed for volunteers to assist patients, he answered the call.
Although the strike ended before he began work, the experience solidified his desire to serve in medicine.
He later trained as a Medical Assistant in Uganda and worked at Gulu Regional Hospital before relocating to the United Kingdom in 1969 for further studies.
In Britain, he qualified as a State Registered Nurse and specialised in psychiatric care at Royal Edinburgh Hospital. He was encouraged to pursue medicine but made a strategic decision instead — to study health service management.
It was a pivotal choice.
Rather than serve only at bedside level, Okalo positioned himself to influence health systems, planning and policy. He later joined NHS Lothian, where he worked in healthcare planning and capital development until his retirement in 2007.
At one point in 1985, he was in discussions to support healthcare planning in Uganda, but political upheaval disrupted those plans. Nonetheless, his commitment to his homeland never faded.
A 40-Foot Container That Changed a Hospital
Years later, during a visit home, Okalo was confronted with stark realities at Lira Hospital — patients without beds, staff lacking basic tools, and equipment shortages that compromised care.
From Scotland, he mobilised colleagues within NHS Lothian to donate surplus but functional medical equipment. The result was a 40-foot container packed with hospital beds, baby cots, incubators, operating tables, theatre lights, orthopaedic appliances, computers and a mobile X-ray machine.
The shipment was delivered directly to Lira to avoid diversion.
The impact was transformative. Surgical capacity improved, morale among health workers strengthened, and within a year, the facility attained enhanced status as today’s Lira Regional Referral Hospital.
It was diaspora intervention at its most practical — structured, strategic and accountable.
Service, Not Showmanship
Okalo is clear that his work was never motivated by prestige or personal acclaim.
“I did not provide my services to be glamorous,” he says. “My intention was to help the people of Lango and beyond to have better facilities so that quality healthcare services could be delivered effectively.”
He explains that his greatest satisfaction has always come from seeing institutions strengthened and communities empowered — not from titles or public praise.
What he sought, he adds, was not applause but understanding.
“I only wanted to be recognised in the sense that people are better informed — to know what is possible, to understand that systems can be improved, and that we, as a people, can organise ourselves to achieve more.”
To him, recognition means awareness — inspiring others in the diaspora and at home to contribute knowledge, skills and resources toward sustainable development.
Restoring Sight, Water and Worship
Okalo’s contributions did not end with medical hardware.
After learning that patients and staff at the hospital worshipped under mango trees, he mobilised churches in Scotland to fundraise for completion of St Luke’s Church within the hospital premises. The church was commissioned in 2010, restoring dignity and spiritual comfort to patients and caregivers alike.
He later coordinated the collection and shipment of 5,000 spectacles to Lira Hospital’s Eye Department — a donation that restored vision to thousands and prompted expansion of optical services.
In 2010, he founded Association of Serving the Humanity International (ASHI), a charity registered in Scotland. Through ASHI, two boreholes were drilled in Bala Town, providing clean and safe water to communities previously dependent on contaminated sources.
Residents no longer trekked long distances for unsafe water. Waterborne diseases reduced. Communities improved hygiene and used the water for brick-making and household development.
For his 40 years of voluntary and humanitarian service in Africa and Scotland, Okalo received the Jim Riddell Memorial Trophy from Voluntary Sector Gateway West Lothian.
On the Role of the Lango Diaspora
At a time when diaspora contributions are sometimes questioned, Okalo is firm in his assessment.
“The role of the Lango diaspora is significant,” he says.
He points to structured associations in the UK and North America that address poverty, unemployment and healthcare gaps back home. However, he cautions that disunity among leaders weakens impact.
He advocates stronger collaboration between diaspora groups and the Lango Cultural Institution, unity under the Won Nyaci, and collective development planning.
“Lango people must unite. Development cannot be outsourced,” he says.
Vision for Healthcare, Education and Development
Okalo believes sustainable progress requires long-term planning and policy reform.
He envisions:
1. Accessible public healthcare systems.
2. Medical and nursing training institutions established within Lango.
3. Stronger integration between healthcare, housing, sanitation, road infrastructure and education.
4. Improved primary education as foundation for national development.
5. Industrialisation and structured urban planning to match Lira’s city status.
He stresses that education must promote self-reliance, not dependency, and parents should view schooling as empowerment rather than financial investment.
A Legacy of Humanity
Now a father and grandfather, and a widower who lost his wife seven years ago, Okalo reflects not on titles but on values.
He hopes to be remembered as “a man who loved humanity, believed in equality, and worked with kindness and determination.”
From Olai village to Britain’s health planning institutions, his journey underscores the power of perseverance and strategic service.
In an era of loud declarations and fleeting promises, David Olwa Okalo represents a quieter force — one measured not by rhetoric, but by boreholes drilled, hospital wards equipped, churches built, and lives restored.
And in Lango, that legacy continues to flow — sometimes as clean water, sometimes as restored sight, sometimes as healing hope.
