Hilary Onek

Mze Samson Okello Otto was serving in the King's African Rifles (KAR) in Kenya during 1946 when he married Mama Ayoo.

Hilary Obaloker Onek (born 5 May 1948) is a Ugandan engineer and politician.

He is the current Minister for Relief, Disaster Preparedness and Refugees in the Ugandan Cabinet.

Onek Hilary was born on 5 May 1948, the second born to Samson Okello Otto, son of Rwot Damwoy of Pakala Clan in Palabek Gem and Mrs. Jera Ayoo, daughter of Rwot Onyanga, the Paramount Chief of Palabek, one of the six chieftaincies of Lamwo County.

The Pakala Clan are largely found in Gem, Lokung and a few in parts of South Sudan, along the border with Palabek and Lokung.

In the olden days, the Rwodi or Royal Acholi families arranged marriages of their children.

He left the Army in 1954 and joined the Public Works Department (PWD) at Entebbe and later worked in different parts of Uganda, including Mubende, Hoima, Soroti and Moroto.

Mze Otto moved with his family wherever duty took him.

Hilary Onek attended his primary school in Moroto, Karamoja.

He attended St. Mary's College Kisubi for both his "O" & "A" Level education, from 1965 until 1970.

From 1971 until 1974, Onek attended Makerere University, Uganda's oldest university, but he dropped out before graduation.

He proceeded to the People's Friendship University in Moscow, Russia, where he studied from 1974 until 1979, graduating with the Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Civil Engineering and the Master of Science (MSc) in Engineering, majoring in Water Resources & Hydro-technical Structural Engineering.

He worked as an Assistant (pupil) Site Engineer, Nurek 305m Hydropower Dam Construction, Tajikistan (USSR), from May until August 1977.

Between May and August 1978, he worked as an Assistant (pupil) Site Engineer, 280m Inguri Hydropower Concrete Arc-Dam Construction, in the Republic of Georgia in the Soviet Union.

During the time he spent at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering Hydro-technical Engineering Laboratory, he was involved in the design and research regarding several International projects:

Following his MSc studies, he completed a one-year fellowship at the Moscow Institute of Civil Engineering in Hydropower Dams & Hydro-technical Structures, from 1979 until 1980.

In 1980 Hilary returned to Uganda and became a Lecturer at Makerere University in the Department of Technology, teaching Water Resources Engineering and Hydro-technical Structural Engineering.

He supervised students' course works, carried our research on the River Nile and other Ugandan rivers.

His findings were presented at Energy Workshops sponsored by the National Research Council and other industry groups.

In 1982, he was appointed Chief Engineer at National Water and Sewerage Corporation, a parastatal water and sewerage utility.

His work at NWSC involved the design of reservoirs, booster stations, water transmission mains, upgrading and expanding water treatment and pumping systems for Kampala and other towns in Uganda.

He remained at Makerere, in that Capacity until 1983.

In appreciation of his efforts, the authorities promoted him to Managing Director of NWSC in 1983.

During his tenure at the helm of NWSC, water and sewerage services, which were limited to Kampala, Jinja and Entebbe, were expanded to cover other towns including Mbale, Tororo, Masaka, Mbarara, Kasese, Fort Portal, Gulu, and Lira.

He developed a corporate plan to cover medium and long term development programs, with a view to make NWSC a leading water utility company in the region.

From 1984 until 1998, he instituted a manpower development program and a training program, to sustainably improve the quality of management in the organisation.

He oversaw the computerization of internal management information system (MIS) and digitized geographical information system (GIS), easing management of customer's data and human resources.

Hilary Onek also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Investment Appraisal and Management, from Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, obtained in 1994.

In 1997, he obtained another postgraduate certificate in Public-Private Partnership in Utility Management, from the Institute For Public-Private Partnerships, in Washington, DC.

He introduced Public-Private Partnership in NWSC by privatizing revenue collection and Management (1997–8).

During his tenure, revenue collection at the water utility doubled.

Between 1998 and 2000, he attended Makerere University, graduating with the degree of Master of Business Administration, (MBA).

His professional qualifications include the following:

Hilary started his engineering career while in graduate school.

He was first elected to Parliament in 2001.

Before that, he served as Uganda's Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries from 2006 to 2009.

He is also the elected Member of Parliament (MP) representing Lamwo County, Lamwo District.

Prior to that, Hilary Onek served as the Minister for Energy & Minerals, from 16 February 2009 until 27 May 2011.

He was appointed to that position on 27 May 2013.

He replaced Tarsis Kabwegyere.