I have not yet responded to President Museveni-Prof Ogenga Latigo

By David Labeja

Prof Morris Ogenga Latigo

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) may have to look for an alternative candidate to contest for the Agago North constituency seat if corridor rumors are anything to go by.

The political giant there, Prof Morris Ogenga Latigo is tipped to eat big in a forthcoming executive appointment as chairperson Electoral Commission.

The former Leader of Opposition last month held consultative meetings in Kalongo Town where he informed his electorates that the first citizen of the Pearl had called him with an offer to head the Electoral Commision.

Latigo confirmed to Raw Newsbytes last month that he held the meeting, in which there were mixed reactions from the electorates.

'Most members of my party told me to refuse, but some members of the NRM urged me to accept. I am sure they hope to pave way for their candidate in my absence, ' Latigo said.

He said then that he was responding to the call of his people to contest as MP and would write to President Museveni rejecting the offer.

When contacted, President Museveni's Press Secretary Linda Nabusayi said the president talks to many politicians on phone.

'It is possible he talked to Prof Latigo but I cannot tell whether it was to offer him an appointment,' said Nabusayi.

But two weeks since the alleged conversation between the president and Prof Latigo, the politician-cum farmer has not responded to statehouse.

'I had written a letter to reject the offer but some people advised me to hold it,' said Latigo last week.

Asked whether he will accept the appointment or not, Latigo was tightlipped, and only said he would make a decision soon.

The electoral Commission, currently chaired by Eng. Badru Kiggundu, has been accused of being an NRM tool to rig elections.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who yellowed it better?

An NRM aspirant for the Adjumani LC5 seat Ben Anyama posses infron of his car on Friday 10.9.2015 in Arua town. The car is painted yellow to epress his love for the NRM party. Anyama was the Resident District Commissioner for Dokolo until 2013 when he was dropped in a reshuffle. Anyama faces Leku Richard, who is also vying to become the NRM flag bearer

Who is your candidate? #UgDecides2016

Who is your candidate? A heated debate takes place among locals in Lira Palwo Sub County, Agago district over who to vote in the forth coming elections. Agago is one of the most hotly contested seats in Northern Uganda. Photo by Davic Labeja

Lumyel ikare me bito kwir ni mono gene? Pak ma gimiyo ki lucungu ni gene?

Lukeme! Man awobe Lotome tye ka goyo Lukeme ikare me bito kwir.

Mege ma otegi tye ka myelo apiti. Giwero ki nying lacungu acel acel, weko pe igeno ka ce wer gi ni cwiny gi tye iye

Mego ni the ka goyo kijira ikare ki i Lotome

Man lapii nanga tye ka myel inyim lucungu 

Mege ma otegi me Acuru i Agago dictrik ikare ma gitye ka jolo lacungu

NRM Primaries in Agago district: In Pictures

Former LC5 Chairperson of Pader district Mr. E.Y. Komakech holds the campaign poster of Okidi Walter Ladwar, a contestant for the NRM primaries to choose the flag bearer for the Agago MP race.

A shop in Lira Palwo Township is awash with posters for campaign

This wall in Patongo Town, Forest ward displays candidates for the NRM primaries, DP candidate Okidi Christopher and FDC candidate Komakech Charles Toodera

Okidi Walter Ladwar poses with his poster in Patongo Town

This voter pins the poster of his candidate at a campaign rally in Lotome, in Lira Palwo Sub County

Early morning gardening in Pader

This woman was late for her gardening and she took long strides to make up for lost time in Pader town on Saturday 5.9.2015

and her daughter followed the mother to the shamba in Pader Town on Saturday 5.9.2015

Violent storm leave Pader shops roofless

The roof of Oasis Bar in Pader was blown off by a violent storm on Friday Night 4.9.2015

This shop along the main street in Pader was washed by running water after its roof was blown off on Friday night 4.9.2015

The shopkeeper looks helplessly at his wet merchandise after a violent storm s

Church of Uganda agrees to honorable retirement of Bishop Ojwang

David Labeja,
Gulu

A ray of hope has flickered into the cracks of a yearlong tension that was threatening to tear apart the Anglican Church in Kitgum diocese.

This after a mediation presided over by Justice Simon Byabakama Mugenyi of Masindi High, held on Thursday in Gulu High Court, agreed on the honorable retirement of Bishop Benjamin Ojwang.

The mediation stems from a petition in which four canons of Kitgum Diocese petitioned court through Dalton Opwonya and company advocates to stop what they described as forceful and illegal removal of Benjamin Ojwang from office as Bishop of Kitgum Diocese.

The case that has dragged on since December 2014 was in July referred to Masindi High Court, before Justice Byabakama, after the Principal Judge Dr. Yorokamu  Bamwine said the Gulu resident judge Lady Justice Margaret Mutoni was overloaded.

But Justice Byabakama Mugenyi preferred to listen to the case from Gulu, and advised that the two parties pursue mediation, other than court judgement, a preference both the Bishop and the team representing archbishop Stanley Ntagali agreed.

A day long mediation attended by Bishop Ojwang and his legal team as well as the chairperson of the house of laity of the province Christine Kintu on Thursday however agreed on honorable retirement of Bishop Ojwang, one of the two suggestions of Justice Byabakama.

There was however rope pulling on the date of retirement, after the archbishop’s team protested a suggestion that Ojwang retires in December 2015.

“According to the archbishop’s team, the bishop is technically retired in December 2014, and they just want a ceremony arranged to see him off,” said Canon Moses Opira who attended the meeting.

But the judge asked what it could cost the Church of Uganda having Ojwang as bishop of Kitgum Diocese for the next three months.

“For that matter a new date has been set for September 29, 2015 to resolve the date of retirement impasse, but we are optimistic that the archbishop’s team will agree to the term,” said Canon Opira.

He said the judge suggested that Bishop Ojwang retires on December 31, 2015.

The 63-year-old bishop Benjamin Ojwang was due to retire in 2017 when he turns 65 – the mandatory age for retirement of a bishop in the Church of Uganda, but the Kitgum diocese laity recommended for an early retirement, a situation which deteriorated to court battles.

In May this year, Gulu resident Judge Lady Justice Margaret Mutoni gave an order retraining the archbishop from removing Ojwang until the petition was concluded.

Ojwang became the second Bishop of Kitgum after peace-award winner Bishop McLeod Baker Ochola retired in 2002.

Since the beginning of his tenure, Ojwang has stirred controversies, suing the clergy and dismissing others.In 2007, he was locked in the vestry of town parish church in Kitgum by a section of Christians who said they did not want him to lead the church service.

Two years later, an uprising against his administration led to the formation of the Concerned Christians Association in the diocese.

“It is this group, led by some priests, that is pushing for the illegal removal of the bishop from office,” the bishop’s lawyer Opwonya was quoted saying in an earlier interview.

Those who want him out accuse the bishop of favouring the Christians of Agago and Pader as opposed to those of Kitgum and Lamwo.

They also accuse him of mismanaging the diocese and conflicting with some clergy.

The archbishop reacted by appointing a committee chaired by Rev Canon Jiponi Okello, the archdeacon of Agago Archdeaconry to oversee the diocese.

Acholi culture remains an untapped resource

By David Labeja

Gulu, Uganda

An Acholi bwola dancer blowing the horn

For so many years in both colonial and post independent Uganda, the Acholi have been used to provide entertainment at national, regional and international public functions, not to mention the various private gatherings that some group of Acholi dancers or the other perform at. 

If Uganda was receiving some guest who marvels at the beautiful Ugandan culture, chances are that Bwola dance, the royal most revered dance in Acholi will be used to entertain such a guest on arrival.

In and around Kampala, parents from Acholi whose children are graduating, wedding or having some sort of celebration still spend a sizeable amount of money to transport Acholi traditional dancers to perform Bwola from Lira Palwo in agago while others bring Larakaraka dancers all the way from Pawidi in Kitgum. 

Whenever I visit Ndere Centre in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, I notice that the guests and patrons of the center feel cheated on a day some Acholi traditional dance was not performed.  In fact I am willing to bet both arms and a leg that Bwola will be used to entertain Pope Francis I on his papal visit to Uganda later in November.

Bwola is however one of the over 20 unrivalled dances, songs, cuisines, practices and rituals that has remained untapped in the Acholi culture. When last month the Local government Minister Adolf Mwesigye proposed to cabinet that government would create 5 new cities and I saw Gulu in it, I was elated! My excitement was however short-lived when I saw a proposed ‘flat’ Gulu city, while Jinja was proposed as an Industrial City while Fort Portal proposed as Tourism City. I expected Gulu to be a Cultural City!

As a cultural city, Gulu would become a center for tapping resources from the various cultural values that the Acholi people have. Take dances for example. What if we have an annual cultural carnival week, where various dance groups showcase different dances and performances? 

Apart from preserving culture, this can be popularized to attract internal tourism, where Ugandans travel from far and near to come and enjoy the most beautiful and entertaining dances from the world. Look at how the Kampala Carnival has become popular!

From Brazil to Germany, big cities have cultural carnivals, which last not less than three days, and these have proved to be a huge source of revenue for both the host cities and the host countries-what with the hundreds of tourists traveling and paying visa fees to be part of the carnival! I believe that an Acholi cultural carnival would attract such international tourists also, and therefore bring in resources for both the host city and Uganda as a whole. With that, we may never have to rely on donor countries to fund the recovery of northern Uganda.

But for these all to happen, there must be local support from the Acholi community. We the people of Acholi need to rally behind the cultural institution Ker Kwaro Acholi and compel them to think of this as one way of raising the value of Acholi as a community. With the paramount chief and his council of chiefs taking lead, there is so much we can achieve when we invest in Acholi traditional dances.

"Colonel' Ochola Johnson: the Lango Cock whom everyone thought had a burning Comb

By David Labeja
Lira, Uganda