Celebrating a Life of Love and Service: ‘My Heart Is Peaceful,’ Says Late MP Apolot’s Husband
Thousands of mourners gathered in Ngora District on Saturday, January 24, to bid farewell to the late Ngora Woman MP, Hon. Stella Apolot Isodo, but no one carried the weight of loss more visibly than her husband of 27 years, Samuel Isodo.
Rising to speak amid hushed silence, Isodo delivered a moving tribute that blended humour, heartbreak, and gratitude, painting an intimate portrait of a marriage built on deep affection.
“She always believed I was the most handsome man,” he said softly, drawing gentle laughter from the crowd. “So if you think I am ugly, you are too late.”
His tone soon shifted as he shared tender, ordinary moments that had taken on profound meaning.
“I last clipped her nails a week before she died. She liked it. She called me the best pedicurist,” he recalled, before breaking down. “You have left me alone.”
A seasoned lawyer, devoted Pentecostal and father of three, Isodo said his greatest comfort was knowing he had loved his wife wholeheartedly.
“I am happy Stella died at a time when I showed her all the love I could. There is no better way I would have loved her than what I already did. My heart is peaceful. I have no debt of love with her.”
Hon. Apolot passed away on January 17 in a Kampala hospital after a prolonged illness. She was 51. Last year, she had undergone surgery in India and had continued to battle health complications, including low blood pressure.
A Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) legislator elected in 2021, Apolot’s death came only days after she lost her re-election bid for the Ngora Woman MP seat to Josephine Pedun of the NRM.
Yet at her burial, politics faded into the background as leaders and citizens focused on celebrating her life.
Gesturing toward the crowd, Isodo reminded his late wife of the impact she had made.
“The presiding bishop is here. The entire FDC is here. The Vice-President is here. Ministers, Members of Parliament, friends from across the country — you touched lives in ways I didn’t even know.”
Vice-President Jessica Alupo described Apolot as a woman deeply grounded in faith and culture, recalling her active participation in church activities and cultural festivals.
“She loved God deeply. Let us carry on her legacy,” Alupo said.
In his sermon, Pentecostal Assemblies of God Presiding Bishop, Dr Simon Peter Emiau, likened Apolot to the biblical Sarah, a woman who remained faithful to God until the end, noting that the massive turnout testified to a life well lived.
As the sun set over Ngora, Apolot was laid to rest not only as a politician, but as a beloved wife, devoted mother and a woman whose love and service will be remembered long after her passing.
