Teso leaders denounce Dokoria’s appointment as Emorimor

Soroti, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leaders from the Southern districts under the Iteso Cultural Union have disassociated themselves from the announcement of Mzee Nicholas Dokoria as a parallel Emorimor by a section of elders. Over the weekend, a group of elders under the Iteso Cultural Union sitting in Soroti city declared Mzee Nicholas Dokoria from Tororo as the new Emorimor.

It came after Dr. Charles Otim, the Chairperson of the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) Electoral Commission declared Paul Sande Emolot unopposed as the next Emorimor. Emolot, who also hails from Tororo district is due for enthronement on July 23, 2022. Iteso Cultural Union has been plunged into a succession dispute since the demise of the Emorimor Augustine Osuban Lemukol who succumbed to COVID-19 on February 5th, 2022.

Now, ICU leaders from the Southern districts including Tororo, Busia, Manafwa, Namisindwa, and Mbale have denounced Dokoria’s nomination, saying that he doesn’t belong to any clan of Itesots and doesn’t qualify to hold the position of Emorimori.

Sitting at Sofitel hotel in Tororo on Tuesday, the leaders said that what Dokoria and other leaders did over the weekend goes against the interests of the Teso people especially those from the Southern region, who are expected to produce the next Emorimori. Bisansio Imeri, the ICU Chairperson in Busia district, says that he was shocked to learn that there is another group conducting parallel activities within the institution.

He argues that Dokoria’s actions are against the set rules of ICU and should not be tolerated by any right-thinking Itesot. Akisoferi Emet, the Morukatipe ICU chairperson where Dokoria hails from, says that he is embarrassed about whatever his subject is doing and apologized on his behalf. He noted since childhood, Dokiria has not been a social person and has never attended any ICU activities in the sub-county.

He wonders how he ran to be installed as a parallel Emorimor without passing through his local leadership as demanded by the ICU constitution. The ICU information minister Gabriel Opolot Mabior, says that preparations are underway for the delegate’s conference to install Emolot as the rightly elected leader of the Iteso Cultural Union.

He has asked the public to disregard any contradicting congregation noting that the Teso people are too organized for such cheap deviations. He has also asked the government to reign in over the parallel cultural leadership, which threats ICU’s wellbeing.

Nicholas Dokoria told URN that he was taken unaware by the decision to name him for Emorimor’s post.

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URN