For those who may not have heard the news, I am sad to report that Rotary International President-Elect Sam Owori passed away on July 13 due to complications following a surgical procedure in Texas. Owori was a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda for 38 years. His term as RI’s 108th President - and only the second from Africa - would have begun on July 1, 2018.
In the announcement of Owori’s passing, current RI President Ian Riseley said: “Please remember Sam as the outstanding, hard-working Rotarian he was. In this difficult time, I ask you to keep his wife, Norah, the Owori family and Sam’s millions of friends around the world in your thoughts. Sam was a special person in so many ways, and his unexpected death is a huge loss to Rotary, his community and the world.”
Owori was the chief executive officer of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Uganda, whose mission is to promote excellence in corporate governance principles and practice in the region by 2020. Previously, he was executive director of the African Development Bank and managing director of Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd., and director of Uganda Development Bank. He has also served as corporation secretary of the Central Bank of Uganda and as a director on several other boards in Uganda.
Yours in Rotary,
Burt