Opio Onito pays tribute to his great father

• Event: Johnnie Walker Amateur Open
• Date: August 25-28
• Venue: Uganda Golf Club

When the 2026 Johnnie Walker Uganda Amateur Open Golf Championship tees off at the Uganda Golf Club from 25-28 August, it will be 21 years since the death of Uganda’s Greatest Golfer, Sadi Onito.

His son, Opio Onito, who is now based in Nairobi, Kenya, describes his father as the greatest golfer and mentor to him.

“He was a very kind and humble golfer on and off the course; he inspired us in the family,” Opio stated in an interview.

Onito holds an outstanding record of 12 Uganda Open titles to his name. His dominance started in 1976, also winning in 1977, 78, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 94, 95, and 96.

Onito used to wear red trousers in the final round and a kangaroo cap.

“During our time with him, he taught my late brothers Charles Yokwe and Renato Sebbi Onito, together with me plus my sibling Grace Ocici at that time; we used to carry the golf bags of Yokwe and Sebbi as we started our sporting careers.

“Initially, we started as tennis players; that is all of us at that time and switched. We switched from tennis to golf, and for the moment my brother and I returned to tennis,” Opio narrated.

Opio and Ocici grew up in the era when Jinja town, now a city, was one of Uganda’s hubs for sports talent, with the Late Father Kiyingi, the pioneer of most of Uganda’s tennis stars that included Yokwe, Sebbi, Opio and Ocici, with many more coming out from the conveyor belt by then.

Onito had a big rivalry with the Late Juma Jaffar during the early 80s, and at that time they were a force to reckon with on the course.

“I can say our family has won the Open 14 times if you include Yokwe’s wins in 2003 and 2005; a year later, he died in an accident in Lugazi. He had switched and became a professional,” Opio stated.

Opio has switched back to Tennis as he builds his foundation to return to golf in due course.

“Grace and I took another path, but we shall return to the course soon. If you don’t have a sponsor, it becomes difficult to remain playing competitive golf,” Opio said. “Both of us won’t be playing at the Open [this year].”

Onito was a cool-headed golfer who liked smoking; he was passionate about the sport and carried the national flag.

“Whenever I am on the course, I look up to him and will always remember him for his care and love for us,” Opio passionately said about his father.

This year’s edition will see golfers battling for a prize kitty of 15 million, with the winner bagging 3 million.

A strong field of golfers from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Ghana, and Malawi is expected to take part in this Official World Golf Ranking tournament.

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