Who is Martin Aliker? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, achievements, and relationship with Rwot Lacito Oketch, Julaina Auma, Daudi Baldwin Ocheng, Camille, Julie, Martin, Philip, Paul Okello and the early life and education of the President of Uganda’s senior Presidential adviser on Political Affairs
Martin Jerome Okec Aliker, also known as Dr. Martin Aliker, is a Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur, community leader and professional Dental surgeon.
He is the President of Uganda’s senior Presidential adviser on Political Affairs, and he has served on the boards of directors of approximately forty Ugandan enterprises.
Dr Martin Aliker is the chancellor of Victoria University Uganda, a private university owned by the Ruparelia Group.
Early Life and Education
Martin Aliker was born on October 21, 1928, in the village of Awaranga, south-west of Gulu in Acholiland, to Rwot Lacito Oketch, a powerful Acholi chief and Julaina Auma, a daughter of Musa Ali, the first ordained Anglican priest in the Acholi region.
Martin Aliker is also the late Daudi Baldwin Ocheng’s brother.
He studied at Gulu High School before going to Kings College Budo for his O-Level studies.
He was admitted to Makerere University in 1948. However, before completing his studies at Makerere, he was awarded a scholarship to Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois, where he studied political science and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Following that, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue dental surgery at Northwestern, where he graduated in 1959 with a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree.
The Royal College of Surgeons of England later conferred to Aliker the title of Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Idi Amin drove him into exile in 1972 and he lived for more than 20 years in Nairobi.
Following Amin’s demise, we briefly cooperated with Presidents Lule and Binaisa before beginning to carry out operations for President Museveni.
Martin Aliker married Camille, an American, and they have four children: Julie, a teacher, Martin, an athlete, Philip, an economist and lawyer, and Paul Okello, a dentist.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Dr. Martin Aliker returned to Uganda after completing his Ph.D. studies in the United States to work as a government dental surgeon.
Later, he quit the state service to open Uganda’s first private dentistry practice owned by an African.
From 1996 until 1999, he served as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
Beginning in the 1960s, Aliker began purchasing stock in well-known organisations such as the Uganda Commercial Bank and the National Insurance Company.
He owned shares in the following publicly-traded Ugandan companies as of October 2014: (a) Stanbic Bank Uganda (b) Uganda Clays Limited (c) Nation Media Group (d) National Insurance Corporation (e) East African Breweries, among others.
He is the chairman of Uganda Clays Limited and serves on the boards of many of these firms.
He additionally held positions with Cooper Motor Corporation, Longman Publishing, Uganda (1965-1987), Phoenix Assurance Company of East Africa (1969-1993), Coca-Cola Africa Region (1991-2004), Nation Media Group, 2001-11), Heritage Oil, Uganda (2003-10), and a number of other companies.
Dr. Martin Aliker handed over the chairmanship of Uganda Breweries to Dr. William Kalema in November 2005.
He is a member of the Actis East African Advisory Board, which was established by Actis, a private equity corporation associated with the Commonwealth Development Corporation.
Dr. Martin Aliker was named the inaugural head of the Makerere University Endowment Fund’s (MakEF) board of trustees in July 2014. In September 2021, he passed the baton to Professor Maggie Kigozi.
From 2012 to 2013, he was also the Chairperson of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust Fund, Uganda Chapter.
He was the founding chancellor of Gulu University, a public institution, from 2004 to 2014.
Dr. Martin J. Aliker was named the university chancellor of Victoria University in January 2014.
Achievements and Awards
Dr. Martin Aliker is a well-known dentist, businessman, and government official throughout Uganda. He is a powerful Ugandan business leader and investor, with multiple directorships in several firms.
Martin Aliker has written and published a memoir titled ‘The Bell Is Ringing- Martin Aliker’s Story’.
In his memoir, he discusses his involvement as a foreign affairs minister and messenger for President Museveni to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir, as well as between Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi and the White House under both Presidents Bush in relation to the Lockerbie bombing.
He also remembers attending Zimbabwe’s independence celebrations and later meeting Presidents Bill Clinton and Nelson Mandela. He closes his narrative with thoughts on Uganda’s past, present, and future.
He was not only Uganda’s first and most successful private practice dentist, but he also pursued a number of economic activities.
Dr. Aliker was among the first Ugandans to settle in Kololo, having built his first residence on Kololo Hill in 1963.
Controversies
When Idi Amin took power in a coup in 1971, his mansion shared the rear wall with Aliker’s. Amin’s security team ordered him to leave his house because he posed a security danger to Amin.
Because of the growing security situation in Uganda, he escaped to Nairobi, Kenya in late 1972. He established a profitable dental practice in Nairobi and stayed there until 1998 when he returned to Uganda. He was able to reclaim possession of his home upon his return.
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