Kebu Rigangi to elect new paramount Chief in May

Arua, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The leadership of Kebu Rigangi, the kingdom of the Kebu people, has confirmed that the new Paramount Chief (Tebizi) will be elected this May.

The election aims to fill the position left vacant in August last year following the death of the Tebizi, Ephraim Waringu Kebi, who passed away at Arua Regional Referral Hospital.

Since then, the Prime Minister has served as caretaker in the interim. Kebu Rigangi Prime Minister, Ukecha Alexis, revealed that the election would take place in May, precisely nine months after the passing of the Paramount Chief, under the kingdom’s constitution.

The kingdom’s constitution stipulates that an election to replace a Paramount Chief must be conducted by clan chiefs nine months after a vacancy arises. The enthronement of the elected Paramount Chief is then scheduled three months after the election. Alio Amos, the Minister of Culture, Rehabilitation, and Community Development at Kebu Rigangi, noted that the constitutionally defined process ensures order and prevents disputes.

The Cultural Chief of Imgbatama Chiefdom, Matua Yekonia, emphasized that the process will remain transparent and strictly guided by the constitution.

Kebu Rigangi is home to one of the indigenous minority groups in the West Nile region, primarily residing in Zombo District. Some members of the Kebu community are also settled in neighboring DR Congo and South Sudan.

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