Rtd. Col. Tony Otoa, a former officer in the Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA), has passed on. Otoa, who had been serving as the Abwor clan chief under the Lango cultural institution, died on Monday afternoon at his home in Boke ward, Lira City.
His son, Tony Otoa Jr., took to social media to announce the news. “Our family fortress has been breached. But in all this, we thank God for a great life experience with my father Rtd. Col. Tony Otoa Snr.,” he posted. During his military career, Otoa served as an Ammunition Technician and was among the group that took over Radio Uganda, enabling Gen. David Oyite Ojok to announce the fall of President Idi Amin Dada.
News of his death has shocked Lango. Linda Agnes Auma, daughter of Gen. David Oyite Ojok and current Lira District Woman MP, described the late Otoa as “an icon in the community.” She said, “Otoa was not only a soldier, a cultural leader, or a peacemaker but an icon in the community, and I pray the next generation emulates his selfless service to the country.”
Auma also recalled Otoa’s close involvement in her early life. “He was a great uncle who stood by my father on the day of my baptism in church; he made me a strong daughter of my father and my defender for all times,” she said. Emily Omacara, Program Manager and Technical Head at The National Women’s Council, remembered Otoa as “an outspoken, but very respectable elder, witty and kind.”
Sarah Awor Angweri, the workers’ councilor in Lira City Council, described Otoa as a “walking dictionary” who mentored many people.
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“I’m saddened by his passing. He has always been a very good friend of mine whom I will miss forever,” Awor added. Otoa was born at the then Masaka Technical School, which served as a camp for the King's African Rifles (KAR) soldiers.
His father, a KAR soldier, hailed from Agweng Sub County in Lira District. Following his retirement from active military service, Otoa joined the cultural leadership of Lango, serving as Prime Minister of the Lango Cultural Institution and clan chief of the Abwor clan.
