Museveni directs against tabling Tororo, West Budama ‘Boundary Report’

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | President Yoweri Museveni has advised against presenting findings by the committee tasked to establish the historical boundaries of Tororo and West Budama, saying it will escalate tensions.

There is raging dispute by some, of the boundary of Tororo and West Budama, pitting the Jopadhola who are majority in West Budama against the Iteso who are majority in Tororo County.

In June this year, Government constituted a 10 member team led by the Lands, Housing and Urban Development Minister, Betty Amongi to supposedly establish the boundaries with the hope of easing tension between the two communities. Parliament had set a debate on the report for Tuesday, and it was item 3 on the Order Paper.

But minutes after the Order Paper was released on Monday, indicating a debate on the Tororo boundary was scheduled for today, Budama South MP Oboth Oboth said there has never been a dispute over a boundary.

“The author of the order paper should know that there is no boundary dispute in Tororo, ” Oboth Oboth charged, stating that “What took us to London archives was not about boundaries but the historicity of ethnic settlements in Tororo. The boundary dispute is between who  and who? East Budama and West Budama, Jopadhola  and Iteso?? Both sides are mixed! ”

Hours after his statement, President Museveni advised for a delay on the matter.

The Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI) has also in the last month written a dossier to the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga, giving her a genesis details of what the issues in Tororo are. (read letter by the Elders Forum)

Tororo County have asked to become a district, insisting it includes Tororo town, which the leaders of West Budama have disputed.

Background

A team traveled to London earlier in the year to check the colonial maps and ascertain the disputed boundary. The delegation also had three leaders each from the two warring communities and officials from the Lands Ministry.

However, the team is yet to present its findings since traveling to London in June this year. In August, the speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga directed Amongi to present the findings followed a heated debate on the committee’s delay to table its report.

Amongi was meant to present the report during plenary on October 28th, 2019. She however, says the president has advised otherwise. In her statement to parliament, Amongi says the president advised that tabling the report be deferred to offer him time to handle the matter to its logical conclusion with the two communities to avoid possible escalation of the issues at hand.

Amongi says she has already submitted the report to the President.  Cyrus Aogon, the Kumi Municipality MP, says it is a great gesture the president has made especially if he has already read the report. He asks the president to give the two communities a timeline within, which to expect a resolution on the matter.

Gaffa Mbwatekamwa, the Kasambya County MP, says President Museveni should let the report be presented as people have waited for long.