Martin Jerome Okec Aliker (21 October 1928 – 15 April 2024) was a Ugandan

dental surgeon A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providi ...

, businessman, and community leader. He was a senior adviser to the

President of Uganda The president of the Republic of Uganda is the head of state and the head of government of Uganda. The President (government title), president leads the Executive (government), executive branch of the government of Uganda and is the commander- ...

and sat on the board of directors of nearly forty Ugandan companies. He was the

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of Victoria University Uganda, a private institution. From 2004 until 2014, he served as the founding chancellor of

Gulu University Gulu University (GU) is a university in Uganda. It is one of the nine public universities in the country, as of September 2016. Location , GU has three campuses. (a) The main campus is approximately , by road, north-east of the central business ...

, a public university.

Background and education

Aliker was born in

Gulu District Gulu is a Districts of Uganda, district in the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. The regional headquarters are located in the city of Gulu, which is also the administrative capital of Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Uganda. ...

on 21 October 1928 to Rwot Lacito Okech and Julaina Auma, a daughter of Musa Ali, the first ordained Anglican priest in the region of the

Acholi Acholi may refer to: * Acholi people, a Luo nation of Uganda, in the Northern part of the country. * Acholi language, a Nilotic language * Acholi Inn, a building in Gulu, Uganda * Acholi nationalism, a political ideology of Acholi people {{dab ...

. He attended Gulu High School for his primary education, before transferring to

Kings College Budo King’s College Budo is a mixed, residential, secondary school in Central Uganda (Buganda). Location The school is located on Naggalabi Hill, in southern Wakiso District, off the Kampala-Masaka Road. This location lies approximately , by roa ...

for his O-Level studies. In 1948, he was admitted to

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

, the oldest public university in East Africa. Before he could complete his studies at Makerere, he won a scholarship to

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, where he studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following that, he was awarded a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

to study dental surgery, also at Northwestern, graduating with a

Doctor of Dental Surgery A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world. Degrees Dental degrees may include: Bachelor's degree * Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) * Bachelor's degree of Dentistry (BDS ...

. Later, he was awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons by the

Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgery, surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wa ...

Lifestyle

After his doctorate studies in the United States, Aliker returned to Uganda and took up employment as a government dental surgeon. Later, he left the public service and set up the first private dental practice in Uganda owned by an African. In 1971, when

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

captured power in a coup d'état, his residence shared the back wall with Aliker's house. Amin's security people ordered him to move away from his home because he was deemed a security risk to Amin. In late 1972, he fled to

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

, Kenya because of the deteriorating security situation in Uganda. While in Nairobi, he set up a lucrative dental practice, staying there until 1998, when he came back to Uganda. On his return, he was able to repossess his home.

Investments

Starting in the 1960s, Aliker began buying shares in blue chip companies, including the

Uganda Commercial Bank Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd (UCB/UCBL) was a Ugandan government-owned bank, and the largest financial institution in the country. In 2001 the bank was privatised and merged into Stanbic Bank (Uganda) Limited. History Uganda Commercial Bank (UCB) w ...

and the

National Insurance Company National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) is an Indian public sector insurance company owned by the Government of India and administered by the Ministry of Finance. It is headquartered at Kolkata and was established in 1906 by Gordhandas Dutia ...

. , Aliker was a shareholder in the following publicly traded Ugandan companies, among others: Stanbic Bank Uganda;

Uganda Clays Limited Uganda Clays Limited (UCL), commonly referred to as Uganda Clays, is a building materials manufacturer in Uganda. The company manufactures baked clay building products, using Italian-made heavy clay processing machinery. The clay is excavate ...

;

Nation Media Group Nation Media Group (NMG), formerly known as East African Newspapers (Nation Series) Ltd, is an East African media group based in Kenya and listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. It is owned by Aga Khan IV. History NMG was founded in 1959 by A ...

;

National Insurance Corporation National Insurance Corporation Limited, commonly referred to as National Insurance Corporation (NIC), is an insurance company in Uganda. The company is a leading provider of insurance and risk management services in the country. Overview NIC, on ...

;

East African Breweries East African Breweries Limited, commonly referred to as EABL, is a Kenyan-based holding company that manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages. Overview The group's headquarters are located in Nairobi, Kenya, with subsi ...

. He sat on the boards of many of these companies and was the chairman of Uganda Clays Limited.

Other responsibilities

Aliker sat on the Actis East African Advisory Board, launched by

Actis Actis may refer to: *Actis (mythology), a Heliadae in Greek mythology * Actis, California, an unincorporated community in Kern County, California, United States *''Actis'', a synonym of the butterfly genus '' Pilodeudorix'' *Actis Capital Actis ...

, the private equity firm affiliated with the

Commonwealth Development Corporation British International Investment plc, (formerly CDC Group plc, Commonwealth Development Corporation, and Colonial Development Corporation) is the development finance institution of the UK government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Off ...

. In July 2014, he was appointed chairman of the

board of trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

of the

Endowment Fund.

Death

Aliker died on 15 April 2024, at the age of 95.

References

External links

Makerere University Honours Martin Aliker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aliker, Martin 1928 births 2024 deaths Acholi people Northwestern University alumni People from Gulu District Ugandan surgeons Ugandan businesspeople Academic staff of Gulu University Makerere University alumni Academic staff of Victoria University Uganda People educated at King's College Budo Ugandan expatriates in Kenya Ugandan expatriates in the United States