Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom has announced the death of Owek. Dr Yolamu Ndoleriire Nsamba Atwoki, a senior royal official and elder who served as Secretary-General of the Kingdom’s Royal Commission and adviser to the Omukama.
Nsamba died on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at his residence in Duhaga, Hoima City. The Kingdom announced that he would be buried at his home, although detailed funeral arrangements were yet to be communicated.
Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom Prime Minister Andrew Byakutaga Ateenyi announced the death and conveyed condolences to the deceased’s family, relatives, friends, religious leaders and members of the Kingdom.
A requiem service was held at St Peter’s Cathedral, Duhaga, in Hoima, led by Bunyoro-Kitara Diocese Bishop Rt Rev. Jacob Atairweho Amooti.
Among the Kingdom officials who attended the service were Byakutaga, Royal Commissioner Dr Joseph Biribonwa Nguza and Head of Regalia George Akiiki Muhuruzi. Retired Bishop Wilson Nkuuna Trumanya also attended.
Atwoki’s death has drawn tributes from people who interacted with him through his involvement in documenting and preserving Bunyoro’s history.
Nyati Motion Pictures, which interviewed him for its documentary series “Tuko Pamoja”, described him as an elder whose understanding of history extended beyond written records to family lineages, cultural connections and oral traditions.
In a tribute, Makerere university film academic Dr Cindy Magara said Atwoki spoke with the patience and authority of someone who understood the importance of preserving historical knowledge.
“He spoke as an elder speaks: slowly, carefully, and with the weight of someone who knows that history is not only in books, but it is in people,” she noted.
She recalled that Atwoki mentored her and maintained a close relationship with Nyati, attending several of its film premieres.
He officiated the premiere of Windows of Hope at Da Place Hoima in December 2009 and later attended the premiere of “Tuko Pamoja: Bunyoro-Kitara” at Kabalega Hall, Hoima Resort Hotel, in 2024.
Dr Magara said Atwoki demonstrated an exceptional ability to trace family relationships across generations, including identifying connections between individuals and their grandparents extending to the fourth generation.
She pledged to continue documenting the history of Bunyoro-Kitara, promising to build on the work and historical knowledge Atwoki shared during his lifetime.
“His wisdom will shape generations for eternity. Where possible, we shall continue documenting the story of Bunyoro-Kitara from where he stopped,” the tribute added.
His death comes at a time when oral history, traditional institutions and cultural documentation remain important in preserving the historical identity of the Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom.
Atwoki’s contribution to the Royal Commission and his participation in historical documentation projects placed him among the elders whose knowledge helped connect contemporary generations to the Kingdom’s past.
