Patrice Okubal, a member of the Iteso community who was born in Uganda and later moved to the United States, returned to his ancestral home of Guyaguya Village in Soroti District (formerly known as Katakwi) on Tuesday.
An individual who vanished from his house in 1957 at the age of 45 has been located and is now 66 years old.
Patrice Okubal, an Iteso native of Uganda, returned to his family on Tuesday in Guyaguya Village, Soroti District (formerly Katakwi).
Okubal, who is now 111 years old, returned to his ancestral village in Bukwo District with the help of his clan members and was welcomed with a two-day celebration that included the slaughter of a cow and a goat and prayers of appreciation.
Okubal fathered five children before vanishing; his two surviving children, Pascal Awojat, 66, and Ms. Rupina Amongin, 70, greeted him along with 139 grandkids.
Okubal is said to have fled his house when he allegedly lost his fortune in a gambling game known as Epiki among the Iteso, in which he steadily risked the family fortune to the point where even his wife was involved.
Okubal’s youngest son, Awojat, claimed that after the bet was lost, other gamblers came to the members of the Ibokora Atekok Clan demanding the hand of Awojat’s mother, Berite Olinga.
Awojat claimed that his late older brothers and the rest of his tribe had beaten the father after he had offered the family’s mother as a wager in a gambling game.
Awojat said to the Nation that her brother had “mysteriously gone from home in protest” when she was being breastfed by their mother, Berite Olinga, who had died in 2003.
They were relieved to find out that their father had been safe with the Bukwo family for nearly seven decades, and they thanked them profusely for ending their frantic search, which they claimed they had given up on more than a decade ago.
We made an effort, but eventually gave up and stopped looking altogether. Okubal’s daughter, Amongin, could hardly contain her tears of excitement as she explained what had happened.
A man named Robert Kapsandui Zik, a member of the Bukwo family who has looked after Okubal over the years, claims that Okubal has been passing himself off as Odeke all this time.
He further disclosed that Okubal was given to his family in 1957 by Aloni Muzungyo, who was then the Sebei County Chief, and that following his grandfather’s death in 1976, Okubal remained in the care of his family.
Kapsandui claims that Okubal spent his entire life in exile alone and childless.
