Ladies and Gentlemen, there are some people whose greatness never come with noise. They do not ask for applause. They do not wait for recognition. They are never visible! But, they simply rise, again and again, each time the world needs holding together. Wensi was one of those rare souls.
Long before the ICT department grew, before there were backups and hands to share the weight, there was Wensi. And from that early moment, he became the quiet engine behind Gulu University’s digital transformation. He was a quiet architect of change, a guardian of the unseen. When systems like AIMS, IFMIS and ACMIS arrived, he didn’t just implement them, he carried them through storms, offering stability when others saw only complexity.
He moved with purpose, laying down digital tracks where none existed, creating order out of chaos. And when learning partially went virtual, he rose again, training minds, calming fears and turning confusion into confidence. Yet even this was not his full reach. Wensi kept the University’s face to the world alive, faithfully running its website like a lighthouse keeper in the night, ensuring Gulu University was always seen, always shining.
Yet Wensi was not a quiet, but always a clear man. He was not timid or passive. He spoke his mind clearly, honestly and sometimes fiercely. He challenged what needed to be challenged. He was not perfect, but he was powerful. He didn’t pretend, didn’t flatter, didn’t hold grudges. His heart was loud, but clean. His spirit was wild, but loyal. He gave himself to his work, to his team and to a vision that few could see.
He spoke his mind with a boldness that disarmed even the most difficult situations. He disagreed when he must but never held a grudge. He could argue passionately at 10:00 am and share a joke with you by noon. That was his magic, his heart never closed. His fire burned for truth, not for vengeance. He was not just a technician, he was a builder of trust, a weaver of stability and a keeper of the invisible things that hold institutions together.
And now… he is gone! Now, the system has lost one of its strongest hands. And yet, some lights are never extinguished. They are simply transferred. From machine to memory. From earth to eternity. From noise to stillness.
Today, the wires may hum more softly. The dashboard may feel emptier. But Wensi’s fingerprints remain. In every seamless login. In every successful upload. In every student’s digital journey. In our quiet gratitude. He has not vanished. He has logged off from this world, from this system, but only to log into a higher one. One where the networks and servers never fail and peace is never interrupted. Where websites are never hacked nor need updates. Where SSL certificates never expire. Where search engines need no optimisation. … Where there is no downtime. Where there is no deadline. Where peace runs like a well debugged code.
But systems remember their makers. And we, who knew him, who stood with him, remember him too. Because death did not delete Wensi. It simply took him offline from this world, so he could log into something greater. A realm where no hard drive fails. Where no ticket goes unresolved. Where there is no underfunding nor requisitions. Where peace is permanent and light is never interrupted.
My brother, my friend…
You carried the load before help came your way. And now we must carry the memory of you with pride, with sorrow and with undying gratitude.
Rest well, Wensi.
You held the line.
You kept the system running.
You carried more than your share.
You gave more than you took.
Farewell, Wensi.
We’ll take it from here.
The systems remember you.
And so will we!
May your soul now find the rest you never asked for, but surely earned!