When thousands of mourners gathered at Pallisa District’s Central Village in Pallisa Sub-county on Wednesday for the burial of 78-year-old Mzee Eyokonia Okoyo, they expected to mourn a man. They ended up learning a lesson for a lifetime. It was not the speeches that taught them. It was the shade.
Mzee Okoyo was a rare man in these times — an uncompromising defender of trees. To many who knew him, he was a man whose ears were allergic to the sound of an axe, a panga, or a power saw cutting through a tree. For decades, he protected every tree in his compound, planting new ones while others were cutting theirs down.
On burial day, his legacy spoke loudly. While most burials of this size in Pallisa would need more than 25 tents to shelter mourners, at Mzee Okoyo’s home, nature provided the tent. His compound, fully covered with both natural and planted trees, offered cool, comfortable shade for everyone.
The Pallisa District Woman MP, Hon. Achola Catherine, could not hide her admiration.
“My lovely mourners, I think you have all noted where we are seated,” she told the crowd. “Our father whose life we are celebrating today has left a legacy we should all emulate. In most burials, this mammoth gathering would need over twenty-five tents. But because of the shady trees he preserved, we are all seated comfortably in a cool environment. That is leadership.”
She challenged the community to go beyond conserving natural trees and plant income-generating ones like cocoa and coffee.
“The problem I have with you is mindset,” she said frankly. “I sometimes get irritated when people ask unbeneficial questions like, ‘How can I wait for two years or five years before harvesting?’ Yet when these trees start fruiting, the farmer earns millions for over 30 years, and even the grandchildren continue to harvest.”
District Chairperson Ben Okiria added his voice, urging mourners to desist from idleness and make the best use of government programs like the Parish Development Model – PDM. He said the deceased had shown that working with nature is itself a form of wealth and protection for the environment we live in.
Mzee Okoyo was the father of Mr. Odelle Francis, the Principal Human Resource Officer for Pallisa District — a man widely respected for mentoring a great number of Human Resource Officers across the region, including Peter Ofamba of Serere, Elizabeth Ingeria of Kibuku, Charles Kateu, Secretary of Pallisa District Service Commission, and Juma Omoio, among others.
That mentorship was visible even at the burial. On behalf of the Uganda Human Resource Officers Association, Peter Ofamba read their condolence message and said they did not know Mzee Okoyo in person, but they felt his character through his son.
“It is believed that the worthiness of a plant is realized from its fruits. It was from Odelle that we knew the character of his father, and some of us here are seeing his popularity today for the first time,” Ofamba said.
When it was his turn to speak, an emotional Mr. Odelle thanked mourners for standing with his family from the day his father died on 9th August until burial day on the 19th.
“Since Papa died, you have been by our side and counselled us enough,” he said. “My prayer is for people to get even closer to us than before because Dad, who has been a key advisor and guide to us, is no more. What you have done to make Papa’s decent burial a success is highly commended. We could not have managed alone.”
The family has three civil servants, including Jude Okoyo, the Akisim Sub-county Health Assistant, and Dr. Achanit Florence of Pallisa General Hospital.
The prayers were led by visiting Pastor James Ruiki of Christian Believers Fellowship from Kenya, assisted by Bishop Alfred Malinga. In a powerful sermon that lasted over an hour, Pastor Ruiki reminded mourners that death does not give notice.
“There is no department for emergency and disaster management in heaven,” he preached. “We are given ample time to repent and get salvation now. People’s souls need a lot of treatment with spiritual food, but many remain adamant as if everything is okay.”
He expressed disappointment that many people do not take salvation seriously and only want the church to preach for a short time.
The Pallisa District Chief Administrative Officer, Mr. Areu Simon Peter lauded all civil servants for standing with the family during the trying moment, while Principal CAO John Okia urged them to maintain that solidarity whenever a colleague faces such circumstances.
As the crowd dispersed, the lesson remained. Mzee Eyokonia Okoyo is gone, but his trees remain — still standing, still giving shade, still teaching.