Emorimor rival group meet, says new King to be elected after 6 months

By Abubakar Bin Siraj

The Iteso community across Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan and Ethiopia will have to wait for a period of Six month as ICU prepares a clear roadmap that will guide council, cabinet and the Ateker community at large on the succession of  Emorimor.

It follows  a resolution by ICU cabinet led by the Ekirigi Augustine Okurut Omare, Harmonization committee chaired by Msgr. Robert Ecogu of Soroti Catholic Diocese, the house of elders led by Papa William Aloch, delegations of Iteso in Kenya and those in the Diaspora among other stakeholders during a consultation and reconciliation meeting held on Monday  at Uganda Martyrs Vocational Training Institute Aminit.

Speaking to the media, the spokesperson of ICU harmonization committee, Christine Amongin Aporu, the former Woman MP for Kumi revealed that they  agreed,  the harmonization committee carries out an audit across the chiefdom of Ateker to establish constituencies that had irregularities and gross misconduct during the 2019 polls before another election is held to constitute a legal ICU council”.

The move to audit the Ateker constituencies across Teso Chiefdom follows a complaint that was lodged by the House of Elders headed by Papa William Aloch against the then ICU Electoral commission regarding the alleged irregularities and gross misconduct during the 2019 polls.

This led to the suspension of ICU council by the departed Emorimor in a letter dated June 14th 2021 pending an audit.

Aware that before his demise, Papa Emorimor Augustine Osuban Lemukol had dissolved the then Electoral commission, the Harmonization committee chaired by Msgr. Robert Ecogu the Vicar General of Soroti Catholic Diocese will in this regard take lead in the audit process in order to establish a legally constituted council with legitimate powers to run the Ateker institution.

Amongin adds that “The newly constituted ICU council will then later issue guidelines on the election procedures for the delegates during the delegates conference after the six-month period to elect the next Paramount Chief of Teso.”

It’s in the delegates conference where the Ateker delegates will convene to nominate the names of potential leaders to serve as Emorimor. 

The same delegates will further constitute a robust committee that will take charge of vetting the proposed names before polls are conducted to elect a new Ateker leader.

Meanwhile as ICU cabinet decides, the council members through the office of the speaker have started holding meetings   with key issues to discuss the process leading to the election of a new Emormor  at ICU offices in Soroti City.