OPINION: The Captain Who Saw My Future: How Mike Mukula’s Generosity Turned Blindness Into A Beacon

 November 22, 2025   |    127 views

In the mid-1990s, in the Soroti Municipality neighborhood of Camp Swahili, my life was shrouded in a darkness that had nothing to do with nightfall. As a young boy, my eyes were riddled with severe wounds, my eyebrows had vanished, and my vision was so poor that navigating my world without someone holding my hand was a perilous exercise.

It was during this desperate time, sitting with a kind Arab woman named Leila, that a man of extraordinary compassion entered my life: Capt. Mike Mukula. His intervention would not only heal my eyes but set me on a path toward a brighter future and, ultimately, the legal career I enjoy today.

I remember the day vividly. My mother, Dorothy Opeitum, was called to explain the pathetic state of my eyes to Mukula. She told him how countless treatments had failed, leaving me unable to read, write, or attend school.

Mukula, a man whose leadership was matched only by his deep-seated humanity, promised her something that felt impossible at the time: “Don’t worry, I am going to treat Joshua’s eyes. I will do all that it takes because he looks like someone who will contribute a lot in the future.” His words were not empty promises; they were the first ray of hope in my dark world.

After a political rally in Otucopi, Mukula summoned my mother and me to Soroti Hotel the next day. A letter was written, a visit to Soroti Main Hospital arranged, but initial treatments offered no relief. Undeterred, Capt. Mukula, with a steely resolve, told my mother to take me to the Tororo Eye Care Center, promising to cover all expenses. “Don’t even pull a coin,” he insisted.

This second journey proved to be the turning point. My uncle, Ipangit Ambrose Amollo,  took me to Tororo, where eye specialists discovered the extent of my condition: severe shortsightedness and a cataract in my left eye, and a dangerous vein threatening my right eye and my life. The diagnosis was grim, calling for surgery and admission to Madera School for the Blind. However, the surgeon was in England.

Upon our return, Mukula’s support remained unwavering. When informed that admission to the blind school was necessary, he once again gave the order: “Take him there, get the admission, and let me know all that is required.” True to his word, he paid for everything—my school fees, a haircut, pocket money—reaffirming his promise: “I don’t want you, mama Joshua, to get even a coin.” He covered every cost, even the future surgery.

Recovery and education progressed at Madera School for the Blind, where Capt. Mike Mukula covered the operation expenses when the British surgeon returned. Mukula, accompanied by musicians Jose Chameleone and Bebecool, later visited the school in a dark grey Mercedes Benz cross-country, a visit that instilled immense pride. You can read more about this experience.

The surgery was a success, and with the aid of glasses, my vision improved significantly. My entire treatment, education, and eventual success were a direct result of Capt. Mukula’s selfless generosity.

This experience is why, during the CEC campaigns, I famously stated that anyone who attacks Capt. Mike Mukula would have put their finger into a leopard’s orifice. Some misinterpreted this, believing I was a paid mouthpiece. But they could not be more wrong. My loyalty and gratitude are not bought; they are the result of an extraordinary act of kindness that fundamentally changed my life’s trajectory.

The measure of Captain Mike Mukula’s legacy, to me, is not in his official titles but in the lives he’s transformed. I credit my own rise to his patronage, and for me, the debt is immeasurable. My loyalty is a small repayment for that boundless debt, as a lawyer who knows firsthand what it means to be brought from darkness into the light.

Joshua Okello is a Professional Lawyer based in Soroti