LANGO ROYAL CROWN SAGA | MINISTER AMONGI REIGNS

The leadership conflict in Lango cultural institution is worrying its subjects. Currently the institution is being run by two parallel paramount chiefs which has caused a lot of confusion with many stranded as to who to pay allegiance to.
The two cultural factions are Lango Cultural Foundation under Yosam Odur Ebii and Tekwaro Lango under Dr. Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune the former executive director of Uganda Road Fund.
This gave birth to two parallel factions in the institution that has been involved in power conflict for over 4 years now.
The Minister for Gender, Labor and Social Development Betty Amongi has met clan chiefs in Lango Chiefdom over continued conflicts as to who is the right leader.
The conflict is between the camp of Yosam Odur Ebii who was gazetted in 2019 by the ministry of Gender and Tekwaro Lango under Dr. Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune the former executive director of Uganda Road Fund.
Although the cultural institutions were abolished in 1966, the current government on the basis of rights to culture restored the institutions in 1993.
Subsequently the clan heads elected Yosam Odur Ebii as the paramount chief of Lango cultural foundation in 2001.
But in 2017 a section of clan leaders also elected Dr Moses Michael Odongo Okune as their Paramount Chief of Tekwaro Lango.
Lango Cultural Foundation, Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii and his former premier Dr Richard Nam then ran to court to annul Okune’s election but their application was dismissed with cost at Lira High court.
Since then, the two cultural factions; Lango Cultural Foundation under Yosam Odur Ebii and Tekwaro Lango under Eng. Moses Michael Odongo Okune has been involved in power conflict for over 4 years.
After receiving several complaints from both factions, President Museveni directed the minister of Gender Labour and social development Betty Amongi to reign in the matter.
Amongi, after meeting 118 out of the 149 gazette clan heads of Lango from the two cultural factions, confirmed Yosam Odur Ebii as the legitimate paramount chief of Lango after being gazetted by the Government of Uganda basing on the Cultural Law Amendment Act of 2003.
This position however, has been contested by the Okune’s camp.
FILED 21 OCT 2021
RUN 22 OCT, 2021