President Museveni hails Kwar Adhola’s leadership

Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni has hailed the leader of the Jopadhola, Kwar Adhola HRH Moses Stephen Owor, and the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI) for partnering with government in its efforts to spread development in Tororo.

“I commend your good leadership and partnership with government in ensuring that the people support government programmes for peace and development. I am gratified to note that since the restoration of this cultural institution 20 years ago, the NRM government has enjoyed cordial and a health relationship with your kingdom,” President Museveni said as the Jopadhola celebrated the 20th anniversary of the crowning of Kwar Adhola on Wednesday in Achilet, Tororo.

“We thank God for blessing His Royal Highness the king and his family with good health and wisdom. We also thank God for the peace, freedom, security and general tranquility prevailing in the country that allows such important celebrations to take place,” said Museveni, in a speech read for him by Ali Kirunda Kivejinja, the Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of East African Community Affairs.

Museveni stressed that the restoration of the monarchies by the NRM government was “one of the biggest achievements of our time and a sign of good governance.”

“With the revival of our cultural roots, Uganda is proud of her heritage. Our kingdoms are much older than the political unit – Uganda; their role in the history of Uganda is, therefore, of great importance,” Museveni concluded.

Kivejinja, who delivered the President’s speech, said that the celebrations are a sign of unity in  Padhola, and gives the Jopadhola a chance to remind everyone of their heritage, with the view to preserve and promote culture and to teach, especially the young generation.

He urged traditional leaders to continue to help in ensuring that local languages and cultures are preserved, saying vernaculars are rich and unique. The veteran politician said the young generation must be taught to speak in their local languages for posterity purposes.

‘We are partners in development, and not rivals’

Kwar Adhola, 93, had earlier welcomed delegations from several kingdoms including Buganda, Busoga, Bunyoro, Masaba, Bugwere, and from Kenya, represented by the Luo elders council plus a group of governors and their deputies from Siaya and Kisumu in Kenya.

“Before the inception of Tieng Adhola, the people of Padhola were breeding and feeding on divisionism, mutual mistrust,  suspicion and lack of confidence and patriotism for Padhola and their country, Uganda,” Kwar Adhola said in his speech to the tens of thousands that gathered for the celebrations.

“The people of Padhola are therefore, committed to co-exist peacefully with other ethnicities and to reciprocate every gesture of respect and fraternity.”

He however challenged the Jopadhola to end land fragmentation, which he says has made it difficult for large scale commercial agriculture to be undertaken in Padhola.

“The culture of dividing land into small plots to the children of the deceased has led to serious fragmentation of Land, which now on average stands at less than an acre per household. This makes it difficult for large scale commercial agriculture to be undertaken in Padhola,” he said.

Kwar Adhola stressed unity, as key to bringing development in Padhola and thanked President Museveni and the NRM for support over the last 20 years.

“I wish to express my sincere gratitude first and foremost to the NRM Government, under the wise leadership of His Excellency President Yoweri Museveni for restoring the active functioning of cultural institutions in Uganda.”

“That we have celebrated today is the transformation of Tiegn Adhola from simple beginnings to the final installation of His Royal Highness the Kwar Adhola in 1999, the result of which is the 20th anniversary we are celebrating today.”

“It removed the people of Padhola from oblivion and placed them conspicuously on the map of Uganda, Africa and the world at Large as a people with Solidarity, determination, common destiny and vision.”

“Tieng Adhola is also committed to work hand in hand with government in a symbiotic relationship with the view of achieving positive transformation and development in Uganda. We are, therefore, partners in development and not rivals,” he stressed.

Politicians show support

Several current and former Members of Parliament of Tororo led by Jacob Oboth Oboth, West Budama South MP and Chairperson Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, re-affirmed their commitment to working with Kwar Adhola to develop Padhola.

Others who attended were State Minister for Health Sarah Opendi and Tororo County MP Apollo Ofwono Yeri. Former MPs were Tezira Jamwa, Othieno Akika and Grace Oburu.

A message was read from the Secretary General of the NRM Justine Lumumba Kasule hailing the Jopadhola cultural institution for promoting culture and working for development, as were messages from Kwar Adhola’s representatives in Entebbe, Buganda, Kenya, Acholi and Lango.

Dr. Tanga Odoi, the chairman of the NRM electoral commission, led a huge delegation of the ruling party members to pay homage to Kwar Adhola

Chairman General of National Organization Of Trade Union (NOTU) Usher Owere, who is Kwar Adhola’s ambassador to Entebbe region and the Diaspora, gave a report on a funds drive to support the kingdom’s activities. He also announced a member of the Entebbe Jopadhola community plans to build a health school in Tororo, and had offered a scholarship to musician ‘Young Pastor’ who had show cased his pro-development songs at the celebrations.

The Jopadhola Prime Minister (Jago)  Richard Josel Obbo had earlier said Tieng Adhola activities need adequate funding to succeed. Services offered by the Tieng Adhola administrators are mainly voluntary according to the Cultural and Traditional Leaders Act 2011.

The Jago lists challenges 

The Jopadhola Prime Minister Richard Josel Obbo gave a history and successes of the of the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution, and listed bottlenecks that need to be overcome.

“Construction of the Royal Palace has stagnated due to financial constraints. We very much appreciate the contribution earlier made by your excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni in particular and government in general for kick-starting the first phase of the construction. It is our payer and hope that the government will extend further assistance to us to enable completion of the project,” he said.

Jago Obbo also said vehicle facilitation for Kwar Adhola should be put under urgent consideration, given that the current one he has been in use for the last 15 years.

He urged government to provide an annual grant for help them mobilize and support government in its poverty alleviation drive, and also that government fulfills its promise to tarmac Tororo-Busolwe-Namutumba Road.

Who is Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor?

Moses Stephen Owor was born to the late Mzee Wilbrod Othieno and Norah Nyanganda, a daughter of Chief Majanga, at Nagongera in 1926.

He started his early schooling at Nagongera Primary School, from where he proceeded to St. Peter’s College Tororo for his early secondary schooling, before joining Namilyango College for further studies.

He joined the Civil service in 1950 and rose through the ranks to become Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Labour where he played a key role sowing the seeds for the formation of NSSF, and retired from Government Service in 1977.

Upon retirement, he served the Federation of Uganda Employers as Executive Director, up to 1979, from where he joined the International Labour Organization  based in Nairobi, Kenya as Chief Technical Advisor from 1980 to 1983.

He was among others, Chairperson of the Boards of Kilembe Mines Ltd and Produce Marketing Board and served on various other committees of government such as that one which made in 1987 recommendations to rationalize the public service of Uganda.

In other spheres, he was the first African Head of the Laity of Christ the King Parish in the seventies, was Charter President of Tororo Rotary Club, Member of board of Governors of St. Anthony Hospital, Tororo, the Benedictine Eye Hospital, also in Tororo and St. Peter’s College, Tororo. He has several children, serving the society in various public and private capacities.

When government allowed cultural institutions to operate according the law and norms of various peoples in Uganda; the Jopadhola clans elected him the first ‘Kwar Adhola’.

Historic 1999

On the 7th August 1999, Owor was installed as the cultural leader of the Jopadhola. The historic event took place in King George V stadium in Tororo Town after a cultural ritual performed by a one Opeti Obieto (RIP) and His Grace Yona Okoth (RIP), the then Archbishop of the Church of Uganda.

The leader of the Jopadhola was elected by consensus by an electoral college of the 52 registered clans in 1998. Hitherto each clan separately had its own clan leader called Kwar Nono (clan grandfather). And whereas the clan leaders had close association on account of common origin, none of them superintended over the others.

The new cultural leader was given the title Kwar Adhola (grandfather of the Jopadhola), and the new Union of the original and affiliated clans was christened Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI).

The Jopadhola can trace their origin through the migration of the Luo from Southern Sudan, following the Nile, to approximately 700 years.

Their grandparents Owiny and Adhola settled on the land now known as Padhola (Budama) between 1500 and 1550. It is from Tororo that Owiny the brother of Adhola, led another Luo group to Kenya.

Congratulations to the people of Padhola, Tororo and happy 20th coronation anniversary HH Kwari Adhola Moses Stephen Owori pic.twitter.com/FULjit1N3P

— Jacob Oboth Oboth (@ObothOboth) August 10, 2019

Am so grateful to my King for appointing me as his ambassador in Entebbe and Diaspora pic.twitter.com/ed4MaIyw9Z

— CHAIRMAN GENERAL-NOTU (@owere_usher) August 8, 2019

HRH Kwar Adhola Moses Owor marks 20th coronation anniversary, calls for end to land fragmentation in #Tororo #KwarAdholaAt20https://t.co/qnT1uXfIjX #Culture #Uganda #Jopadhola @ObothOboth @owere_usher pic.twitter.com/1Zkp9abn0e

— Louis Jadwong (@Jadwong) August 8, 2019