Lira, Uganda: The ex-Paramount Chief of the Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF), His Highness Yosam Odur Ebii, has died at the age of 99. He passed away at 4:21 a.m. on Saturday morning at Lira University Teaching Hospital, where he had been admitted for treatment.
Sources at the hospital confirmed that the revered cultural leader had been admitted three days prior after developing complications linked to malaria and persistent coughing.
Jacob Ocen, the spokesperson of the Lango Cultural Foundation, confirmed the development, saying, “He was admitted after suffering from malaria, but later started coughing severely. We are yet to establish the exact cause of death.”
According to Anthony Olobo, one of Odur’s sons, the late chief had been battling recurrent illness for several years. “Father’s health has been on and off. He has been in and out of hospital for quite some time,” Olobo said.
In October 2020, Odur was admitted to Lira University Teaching Hospital and later referred to Mulago National Referral Hospital after suffering from persistent hiccups that lasted for two days.
Born in 1926, Muzee Yosam Odur Ebii has been the Paramount Chief of Lango since 2003, after being unanimously elected by the Council of Clan Heads (Owitong) in Apac District. His two-decade reign marked one of the most defining chapters in the region’s modern cultural revival.
Legacy and Transition Plan
In October 2023, Odur publicly announced his plan to step down and hand over power to a new cultural leader by December 2024. In a letter dated October 10, 2023, he unveiled a transition roadmap detailing a year-long process to ensure a peaceful and structured succession.
Plans for a historic cultural visit by the Kabaka of Buganda and Omukama of Bunyoro to the site where Kabaka Mwanga and Kabalega were once sheltered by the people of Lango during their anti-colonial resistance.
Despite his towering legacy as a unifying figure, Odur’s leadership was not without controversy. His tenure saw internal divisions that culminated in the emergence of a rival faction, Tekwaro Lango, led by Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune, former Executive Director of the Uganda National Road Fund.
Nonetheless, many credit Muzee Odur for preserving Lango cultural heritage, promoting education and reconciliation, and maintaining the Lango Cultural Foundation as a respected institution even amid internal disputes.
Leaders call for Calm and Unity
Following the announcement of his death, the Prime Minister of the Lango Cultural Foundation, Fredrick Ogwal Oyee, urged the Lango community to remain peaceful as mourning arrangements begin. “This is a trying moment for all of us. Let us remain calm and united as we honor the legacy of our beloved Paramount Chief,” Ogwal said.
Preparations for official mourning and burial arrangements are underway and will be coordinated by the LCF leadership in consultation with the royal family and cultural elders.
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