My Story: Hon. Akol Rose Okullu: A Journey of Resilience

 October 24, 2025   |    273 views

From Village to Parliament: My Journey

Hon. Akol Rose Okullu, the current EALA MP and former Bukedea Woman MP, never thought she would end up being a politician.

I spent my early childhood in Kumi with my father, Mzee Yorobwamu Okullu, who was working at Kumi Dispensary at that time (now Kumi Health Center IV). I went to schools in Kumi and did my primary education from Kumi Township before joining Ngora High School for secondary.

I spent most of my holidays with my grandfather in Kolot subcounty, Kanyipa Village. I would also sometimes visit my Maternal Parents in Kolir S/C Kanyipa Tukum Village where I used to go take care of them in their old age. It was very exciting sitting around the fire place in the evening listening to Stories and many more from this and folks!!! They taught me alot of stuff!!!

I mean; how to cook various traditional cousine; how to grind millet using a stone; how to make Groundnuts paste sometimes mixing it with Honey or ghee. This paste ” Emuna” was the butter for breakfast to be eaten with Cassava or Sweet Potatoes with GrandPa.

During insurgency one day the Karamojong raided and took all our animals(cattle). My Grand PA went into depression and eventually died after losing all his heard to cattle raiders!!!

I was very close to my father and he often promised me gifts if I worked hard in class, which motivated me a lot. I recall going to the garden very early in the morning to weed about five to ten rows of cassava before going to school. This was expected of all the children. My parents

instilled the values of hard work in us, and I believe this kind of training has shaped me today because I was able to know the value of hard work.

My fondest memories were dancing for money. Our father owned a gramophone where he used to play music, and when he came back in the evening, he would call us to dance. The best dancer was always rewarded. I always looked forward to those moments because I was one of the best dancers and got a reward of one shilling (it was a lot of money that time).

As a child, I never dreamt of joining politics because it was never among my aspirations. I wanted to be an administrator or accountant because I always wanted to be in charge. As the rest dreamed of being medical doctors, I did not want to be one because of the kind of work I used to see my father going through. Being one of the few medical doctors in the village, he was always called even in the night to attend to patients.

After my senior six in Ngora High School, I joined Nakawa for ICSA, a professional course that has both accounting and administration attributes. However, after doing that course, I never achieved my dreams of being an administrator. I instead ended up being an accountant, yet the course inside was more of an administrative course than accounting. I then enrolled to the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators based in UK Glasgow.

While growing up, I admired being a nun because of Sister Molly, who was an administrator of Kumi Girls Primary School. I always admired the way she carried herself, and I always wanted to be like her. At one time, she wanted me to be a nun, but Daddy refused.

I remember being the naughtiest in secondary school life, especially in Senior Two. I remember in Ngora High, we always had social functions at school that were supposed to be paid for. This did not favor all of us who could not afford the entrance fee. A group of girls and I made sure we entered for free. The girls would organize and pay for one person who would sprinkle pepper in the hall, causing discomfort and forcing some to get out. In the process of the chaos, we would all enter the hall free of charge.

However, as we grew up, there was a group of girls that were bent on making sure that all girls were well-behaved. If we identified someone who was misbehaved, we would write their names on the notice board or tell the boys to compose songs about them. This would compel them to change their behavior.

I also remember being bright in Maths, which won me favor from Rev. Fr. Lunen, our Maths teacher, and saved me from expulsion on one occasion. That time, some girls in the cubicle sneaked waragi, which I accidentally knocked and poured in the room. The school administrators learned about it, and Father Lunen, being in charge of discipline, forgave me because I was a good student. The other girls were expelled. I learned my lesson that day.

My worst childhood memory was riding a bicycle at night from the village to Kumi town. I was sent to deliver a parcel for my father to the village and was to return the very day. I arrived at my dad’s at around midnight, which was very risky.

Losing my mother to cancer was a turning point for me and my life. This motivated me to use my own funds to help other people in my constituency get free testing. Today, I have been greatly impacted by my childhood experience of going to the garden and helping with chores at home because it taught me to work hard. I have been able to tread in areas that people think are very difficult.