Emmanuel Igwaro Odongo-Aginya

What A Life Emmanuel Igwaro Odongo-Aginya

This is s remarkable fast moving tragic story of a young man, Peter Opiyo, dogged by

misfortunes after a very successful career rising from a Graduate Teacher to a Permanent

Secretary in the Ministry of Education during the military regime in Uganda. The story begins

when Peter is already a Permanent Secretary, happily married to Rose, a Matron at Mulago

Hospital even though they did not have children as Rose was unable to bear them. Tragedy hits

the family when Robert Opiyo, Peter's father is shot to death by robbers in Nairobi where he was

the Regional Manager of Trans Ocean, Uganda Limited with its main Headquarters in Kampala,

Uganda. Robert Opiyo's murder was planned from Uganda with apparently the involvement of

the Government State Research Bureau, the secret service arm of the Government at that time.

Robert Opiyo's death sparked off Peter's misfortune. While in Gulu for the burial of his father,

Peter's house is burgled and swept clean except for the bookshelf with all the books intact and

the house telephone. What surprised Peter and his friends, is that Peter's house is sandwiched

between two Senior Army Officers, in Princess Anne Avenue, in Kololo. None of the Peter's

neighbours heard any noise of the breakage or noise of the lorry that carried off his whole

household items. As if this was not enough misfortune, on their way back from Gulu, Peter and

Rose in shock, drove back to Kampala and just as they approached Bombo Town, where a

military barracks is located, a military lorry appeared out of nowhere heading towards Gulu and

drove straight into the path of their car. To avoid a head on collusion, Peter swerved off the road

and the car rolled several times into the valley before bursting into flames. During the fall, Peter

was thrown out of the car and sustained multiple fractures but Rose, strapped in her seat belt,

was burnt to ashes. After semi recovery, Peter took the remains of Rose and buried her next to

his father's grave. Peter was completely broken, constantly thinking and weeping for Rose as

they were very close not just as husband and wife but friends.