news 20 April 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Family of Late Ambassador Okello-Agwaa Urges Government to Release Long-Delayed Benefits
The family of former Ugandan ambassador to DR Congo, Jacob Okello-Agwaa, who died in 2013, is pleading with the government to pay his overdue gratuity and benefits despite repeated promises and letters to the President. They highlight his historical ties to President Museveni and service during turbulent times. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/ex-ambassador-okello-agwaa-s-family-pleads-with-gov-t-to-pay-his-benefits-5429878
The relatives of the late Jacob Okello-Agwaa, Uganda’s former envoy to the Democratic Republic of Congo, are calling on the government to settle his pending benefits after nearly 13 years of waiting.
Okello-Agwaa, originally from Odek Sub-County in Omoro District, passed away on September 2, 2013. At his funeral, then-Speaker Jacob Oulanyah assured the family that the government would fully disburse the diplomat’s gratuity and entitlements.
Fredrick Olobo-Agwaa, one of the diplomat’s elder sons, revealed that the family has sent four letters to President Museveni without any reply. He recalled a 2013 meeting at State House where the President promised follow-up discussions that never materialized. The family also noted that Okello-Agwaa himself had discussed his benefits with the President before his death.
Olobo-Agwaa emphasized that these payments would significantly uplift the family’s welfare and those reliant on the late ambassador.
The ambassador’s bond with Museveni dates back to the 1980s liberation struggle, when he provided hideouts in Omoro District. Introduced by the late Eriya Kategaya at Makerere University in the late 1960s, Okello-Agwaa faced persecution under Idi Amin, surviving detention in Makindye and Nakasero before escaping to Kenya and returning after 1979.
Amuru Resident District Commissioner Geoffrey Osborn Oceng advised the family to verify the status of Okello-Agwaa’s appointment with the Office of the President’s Human Resource Department and the Public Service Ministry, noting the need for formal instruments to qualify for benefits.