By Hafiz Bakhit
Grief filled St. Thomas Church of Uganda, Abiriambati, as hundreds gathered in Arua City to bid farewell to a young life cut short in the Nile Star bus tragedy.
The late Margaret Poni Scopas, a Senior Six student at St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls’ SS, was remembered not just as a victim, but as a multi-talented daughter of two nations.
The hymns rose slowly, heavy with sorrow, inside St. Thomas Church of Uganda, Abiriambati, Arua City.
Row after row, mourners stood shoulder to shoulder.They had come to bid farewell to Margaret Poni Scopas— 21 years old, Senior Six, and one of the lives lost when a Nile Star bus overturned in Nwoya District en route from Arua to Kampala.
Born to Rev. Scopas Bullen Ladu of Lanya County and Loyce Tabu Minale of Yei River County, both from Central Equatoria State, South Sudan, Poni carried two homelands in her story.
On Monday, that story was told in tears and tributes. Family described her as humorous, loving, and multi-talented a young woman who lit up every room she entered.
From her first classroom to the halls of St. Mary’s Ediofe Girls’ SS, teachers and peers say Poni’s promise was undeniable. She balanced books, leadership, and creativity with ease.
The head teacher, Sister Josephine Aciro, fought back emotion as she thanked the community for standing with the school and the family through the burial arrangements.
Quoting the Gospel of Matthew, the presiding pastor turned the moment of loss into a call for reflection — urging mourners to live ready, to forgive, and to build a more peaceful world.
From students in uniform to elders in kanzus, from South Sudanese refugees to Arua city residents — the church overflowed. Strangers held each other. Friends clutched photos.
All came to say goodbye to Margaret Poni. She was laid to rest in Rhino Camp Refugee Settlement, in Terego District in Uganda.
