Aggrey Awori

Aggrey Siryoyi Awori (23 February 1939 – 5 July 2021) was a Ugandan economist, politician and Olympic hurdler, who served as Minister for Information and Communications Technology in the Cabinet of Uganda from 16 February 2009 to 27 May 2011.[1] Prior to that, he represented Samia-Bugwe North, Busia District in the Ugandan Parliament from 2001 until 2006. Awori was an outspoken opposition member of parliament for the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) political party. In 2007, he abandoned the UPC and joined the ruling National Resistance Movement.[2]

Aggrey Awori
Born(1939-02-23)23 February 1939
Uganda
Died5 July 2021 (2021-07-06) (aged 82)
Naalya, Kampala, Uganda
Alma mater
Occupation(s)Economist, politician
Years active1967–2011
Known forPolitics
SpouseThelma Awori

Background

Awori was born on 23 February 1939, in Budimo Village, Busia District, near the Ugandan/Kenyan border as the tenth of seventeen children. His parents were Canon Jeremiah Musungu Awori, a pioneer African priest of the Anglican Church in East Africa and Mrs. Mariamu Odongo Awori, a nurse and community teacher.[3] Aggrey's siblings include the ninth Kenyan vice-president Arthur Moody Awori[4] and Mary Okelo, the first woman in East Africa to head a Barclays Bank branch and the founder of the Kenya Women Finance Trust, Kenya's women only bank.[5] Mary is also the founder of Makini Schools, a leading school chain in East Africa.[6]

Awori owned an urban home in Busia Municipality and a country home in neighboring Bugiri District.[7]

Education

Awori attended Nabumali High School in Mbale District and King's College Budo, in Wakiso District, both in Uganda. He was the Canada House Prefect at King's College Budo. While at King's College Budo (1959 to 1961), Aggrey was selected among a few others for elite military officers training at Sandhurst Military College in the United Kingdom. His father Canon Awori, however, rejected the idea of his talented son joining the military.[8] From 1961 to 1965, he studied at Harvard University on a scholarship. The first year he took nuclear physics, but then switched over to political economics.[9]

While at Harvard, Aggrey became the first person in heptagonal track history to win three events - the long jump, high hurdles, and 60-yard dash, tying the heptagonal record in the hurdles and setting the mark in the dash. He also ran on the victorious mile relay team that tied the heptagonal record.[10] By the time he graduated from Harvard, Awori held three outdoor and five indoor school records.[10] He also represented Uganda in the 110 metres hurdles at the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1964 Summer Olympics, but failed to win any medals.[11]

Awori has a Master of Arts in economics from Syracuse University in the U.S.[3][12]

Career

In 1967, Awori was appointed the first local director of Uganda Television (UTV).[13] In 1971 Awori was jailed for two months after Idi Amin's coup, because during Amin's first coup attempt he didn't broadcast a speech Amin gave, lying to him by saying that they were live on air. He went into political exile in Kenya,[14] where he taught political journalism at the University of Nairobi[15] until 1976 and then traveled around Africa visiting Tanzania, Liberia and Senegal and returning to Nairobi in 1979.

After Idi Amin was overthrown in 1979, Awori returned to Uganda. He ran for a seat in the National Assembly of Uganda, but lost.[10] He then became Ambassador to the United States, until being transferred by Tito Okello Lutwa in 1985.[10] He served as Uganda's Ambassador to Belgium from 1985 until 1987, when he was dropped by Yoweri Museveni.[3]

After a brief asylum in Nairobi, Awori started to build up a rebel group operating from eastern Uganda named Force Obote Back Again (FOBA).[16] He stated that his reason for doing so was mainly anger at Museveni's National Resistance Army, which had confiscated his property. In 1992, he dissolved his rebel group, which had consisted mainly of young fighters. In 1993, Awori met with Museveni in New York and then was elected to the Constituent Assembly to drawing up the country's new constitution and as a member of parliament.[9]

He came third in the 2001 presidential elections, polling 1.41% of the vote.[17]

He represented Samia-Bugwe North, Busia District in the Ugandan Parliament from 2001 until 2006. Awori was an outspoken opposition member of parliament for the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) political party. In 2007, he abandoned the UPC and joined the ruling National Resistance Movement political party.[2]

He was the Minister for Information & Communications Technology in the Cabinet of Uganda from 16 February 2009 to 27 May 2011.[1] In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was dropped from the cabinet and replaced by Ruhakana Rugunda.[18] On account of his cabinet post, he was an ex officio Member of the Ugandan Parliament (MP).[19]

Personal details

He was married to Thelma Awori, who worked as Director for Africa at the United Nations Development Programme. Together they were the parents of six adult children.[3]

Aggrey Awori, at the age of 82, died from COVID-19 on 5 July 2021, at a private hospital in Naalya, Kampala.[20][21]

References
  1. Mukasa, Henry (5 March 2009). "Museveni Swears In New Ministers". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  2. Egessa, Hajusu (24 December 2007). "Mbabazi Pleads for Awori". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. "Honorable Aggrey Siryoyi Awori's Profile". Uganda Ministry of ICT. 2007. Archived from the original on 11 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  4. "Dr. Arthur Moody Awori "Uncle Moody" EBS". Daily Kenya BlogSpot. 20 April 2012. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  5. "Dr Elizabeth Mary Okelo". AfrAsia Bank Sustainability Summit. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  6. Bauer, Andrew; Brust, Frederick; Hubbert, Joshua (Fall 2002). "Expanding Private Education in Kenya: Mary Okelo and the Makini Schools". Chazen Web Journal of International Business. Columbia Business School Research Archive. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  7. "What's With Aggrey Awori's Generosity?". New Vision Mobile (Kampala). 2014. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  8. Uganda: Building of a Nation. Kampala: Vision Group. 2012. p. 275. ISBN 9789970447008.
  9. Mutaizibwa, Emmanuel (7 July 2021). "Aggrey Awori: Gifted orator, master of all trades". Daily Monitor.
  10. "Awori: An Olympian of great distinction | Uganda". www.monitor.co.ug. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  11. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Aggrey Awori Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  12. "Where Is Aggrey Awori?". Daily Monitor (Kampala). 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  13. Bwire, Jobby Naseke (5 April 2011). "Biographytt of Aggrey Awori". Jobby Naseke Bwire. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  14. Kabeba, Don (1979). "Uganda: no censors needed". Index on Censorship. 8 (2): 18–21. doi:10.1080/03064227908532896. S2CID 143863530. Retrieved 3 June 2021.
  15. Schneider, Deborah (1 November 2001). "Election Special". Harvard Magazine Inc. Harvard Magazine. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  16. Lewis, Janet I. (2020). How Insurgency Begins Rebel Group Formation in Uganda and Beyond. Online: Cambridge University Press. p. 61. ISBN 978-1108479660. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  17. Borzello, Anna (8 March 2001). "2001 Uganda Poll: The Other Contenders". BBC News. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  18. "Comprehensive List of New Cabinet Appointments & Dropped Ministers". Uganda State House. 27 May 2011. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  19. Bekunda, Catherine; Namutebi, Joyce (19 March 2009). "Awori Back In Parliament, Tables Three Bills". New Vision (Kampala). Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  20. Maombo, Sharon (5 July 2021). "Former Ugandan presidential candidate Aggrey Awori dies". The Star. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  21. "Raila Odinga eulogises Aggrey Awori". Daily Monitor. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
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