Sam F. Owori was elected to serve as president of Rotary International in 2018-19 and would have been the second African Rotarian, and the first Ugandan, to hold that office. He died on 14 July, at age 76, from complications after surgery.
Owori is largely credited with the tremendous increase in clubs in Uganda, from nine in 1988, when he was district governor, to 89 today.
Owori was a district governor during the term of Rotary President Chuck Keller in 1987-88, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the first fundraising campaign was launched. A member of the Africa Regional PolioPlus Committee and the International PolioPlus Committee, he brought an unyielding sense of right and wrong to his work with Rotary, as well as to his position as CEO of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda and his previous work with the African Development Bank and other institutions.
He held a graduate degree in labor law from the University of Leicester, England; a business management degree from California Coast University; and a management graduate degree from Harvard Business School.
Owori is survived by his wife, Norah; three sons, Adrin Stephen, Bonny Patrick, and Daniel Timothy; and grandchildren Kaitlyn, Sam, and Adam. Condolences can be addressed to Mrs. Norah Agnes Owori, c/o Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda, Crusader House, Plot 3 Portal Avenue, Kampala, Uganda, or via sam.owori@rotary.org.
The Sam F. Owori Memorial to Polio has been established to honor Owori’s commitment to Rotary’s polio eradication efforts. Go here and select "Sam F. Owori Memorial to Polio" to contribute to this memorial fund.