Thousands of mourners on Saturday converged in Teboke Village, Chegere Sub-county, Apac District to honor and lay to rest Yosam Odur Ebii, the former Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci) of Lango, who passed away on November 10, 2025, at Lira University Teaching Hospital after battling a long illness.
He was 99.
The cultural titan, widely celebrated for his visionary leadership, was accorded an official burial by the Government of Uganda.
The ceremony drew high-profile dignitaries including Vice President Jessica Alupo, who represented President Yoweri Museveni, Minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng, Government Chief Whip and NRM Vice Chairperson for Northern Uganda Denis Hamson Obua, Members of Parliament, and cultural leaders from across northern Uganda.
Yosam Odur, who served as Won Nyaci of the Lango Cultural Institution from 2003 until poor health forced him to retire in 2024, was remembered as a unifying force who championed education, cultural identity, and moral restoration.
During his reign, he played a significant role in promoting reconciliation and stability in northern Uganda, being an instrumental voice in ending the decades-long Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency.
Obua praised the late chief as “a leader who embodied the extraordinary values of unity, culture, and service,” adding that Odur’s legacy would guide the Lango people for generations.
“He leaves behind a traditional pillar,” Obua said, extending condolences to the bereaved family and the entire Lango community.
He reaffirmed the NRM government’s commitment to strengthening cultural institutions as custodians of heritage and social values.
In a message delivered by Vice President Jessica Alupo, President Museveni described the late Odur as “a patriotic Ugandan whose guidance and cultural stewardship will be deeply missed.”
“The country has lost a patriotic leader at a time when he was still needed,” the President said, commending Odur’s impactful reign and calling on current leaders to safeguard the gains achieved under his cultural leadership. The President also extended a condolence contribution of Shs10 million to the family.
Vice President Alupo highlighted Odur’s instrumental role in advocating for the establishment of Lira University as an autonomous institution.
Using a metaphor that became popular among Lango leaders, Odur often urged the President to “separate the elephant from the rhino,” referring to Acholi and Lango symbols respectively, when the university was still a constituent college of Gulu University.
His persistence contributed to Lira University gaining full public university status on July 16, 2015.
The Ministry of State for Gender and Culture, Peace Mutuuzo, applauded the former cultural leader as a dignified and influential figure dedicated to unity, development, and peaceful coexistence.
“His contribution to peace and coexistence will never be forgotten,” Mutuuzo said. She also emphasized his advocacy for gender equality, inclusive education, and the fight against domestic violence.
Cultural delegations from Acholi, Teso, Karamoja, Alur, and other regions joined the Lango community for the service, underscoring the wide-reaching respect Odur commanded.
The funeral service, held at Te-puke Primary School, was led by a team of bishops including Rt Rev Prof Alfred Olwa of Lango Diocese, Rt Rev Caesar Nina of West Lango Diocese, and Bishop Emeritus Rt Rev Charles Odur Kami, among others.
The late Yosam Odur Ebii is survived by several children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. His wife, Imat Victoria Agong, passed away in 2011.