UGANDA: THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL IN ACHOLI REVIVAL – CHIEF JUSTICE OWINY DOLLO AT ACHOLI CONVOCATION 2024

Co-chair of Acholi Convocation also Uganda Chief Justice, Alphonse Owiny Dollo, (holding the microphone) addresses a gathering during Gurre me Pongdwongo (Acholi Convocation) at Restore Leadership High School in Amuru District, December 28, 2024 (Photo credit, Chowoo Willy).
Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo Chigamoi called for a Luo unification conference to be held in Juba, South Sudan, Kisumu, Kenya or in Gulu City. He was addressing a big gathering of Acholi Convocation dubbed Gurre me Pongdwongo at Restore Leadership High School in Amuru District, December 28, 2024.
“We have our Luo from Gambela in Ethiopia, Shilluk in South Sudan, the Luos in D.R. Congo, in Central African Republic, in Kenya and in Tanzania. “When we unite, God knows,” Chief Justice Owiny Dollo quipped.
Gen. Otim, Chairman of the Acholi from South Sudan led 17 delegates to attend the Acholi Convocation preached unity among the Acholi community across borders.
Gen. Otim said the Acholi Luo community will rise up to defend the minerals that God endowed them with.
“All that God has created in the land of Acholi whether in Sudan soil or in Uganda soil let us protect them. When the British curved colonial boundaries they divided the same people but they we aware about our social boundary despite the spatial boundaries,” Gen. Otim said.
Meanwhile Amb. Olara Otunnu, co-Chair of the convocation had this to say. “Some church leaders have become devils’ agents with churches where criminal agents are produced to hoodwink society. They run churches where corruption is embedded; that is why we are witnessing the worst society full of social evil,” Amb Olara Otunnu lamented.

AMURU DISTRICT-THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2024

By Livingstone Okumu Langol

Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo Chigamoi joked, “This man Amb. Olara Otunnu you see is not of my size but God has compressed all the knowledge in his brain. He came to me to let us rise up and called for our sons and daughters to team up in Acholi Cultural Revival Convocation, and here we are.
“Today, I know that our community from now after two years will look back and will say we were completely finished, troubled by immorality, drunkenness, poverty sickness, and lacking dignity, God forbid,” the Chief Justice lamented.
Amb Olara Otunnu took to the dais saying, “Gurre me Pongdwongo has become our voice where we have identified challenges that we need to address. The Chief Justice is the third in hierarchy of leadership in the country. “The President and Speaker of Parliament along with the Chief Justice are the highest leaders in this country. “But the Chief Justice Owiny Dollo, despite his big and busy office has come down to us because he has seen how our community has degenerated with near loss of their cultural heritage.”
“Our people who had fully embraced education and with a very rich and vibrant culture, that constituted our soft power, are now, with the historical confinement in displaced people’s camps losing it all. “That is why our brother and father, Chief Justice Owiny Dollo Chigamoi came out to see if there is a possibility of a bail out, a rebuilding, a restoration, a transformation.”
“I am warning the groups of corrupt people, the groups of thieves, the groups of secret poisoners, killers, the groups of drunkards, the groups of people who steal simsim from the garden, and the groups of lazy people whose work is to drink waragi from dawn to dawn, that with Roco Paco, a new era is dawning.”
“Religious leaders why are your churches full to capacity, yet infidelity, sex work, luwol (poisoners), murderers are on the increase? “We have people who pray daily but shun work and turn into street beggars?”
Some of our Rwodi (chiefs), and elders including elected leaders keep on playing to gallery, but fear to speak the truth to our people. “Don’t be a mere politician, give direction, give your voice to our people, don’t divide people,” the Ambassador counselled.
“To our people, don’t allow weak and inefficient politicians to be voted because of their party colour, desist from unlawful acts, give direction to your people. “Clan leaders don’t be cowardly, face reality and seek justice to your people, tell the truth. God has endowed us with good environment. “It is our responsibility to protect the environment.
“You don’t see how rich our traditional dances are: Dingi Dingi, Apiti Bwola , Otole war dance, Larakaraka courtship dance and over 80 different Acholi traditional foods,” Olara Otunnu said.
“Chief Justice Owiny Dollo, has exonerated his people, saying let me welcome all of you in this gathering. “Last year in 2023, we were advocating for Roco Paco, and we were very optimistic that our people would support our calls for cultural revival but that came to pass,” the Chief Justice said.
“Let me tell you, the anger which I had before that forced me to cry in the wilderness like John the Baptist, the Biblical one. Today I am no longer disgruntled as I was. People have come to join hands with us for revival of our cultural heritage. They came out for themselves to join hands with us. I have realized that we still have able men and women in Acholi who can still be counted.
“I am now 69 years old, when it clocks one month from now. I therefore want all of you to have the same spirits to fight for our destiny. I am going to register the name of those who made this cultural revitalisation a success movement. “Let us work for all Acholi regardless of colonial boundary whether you are in South Sudan or Acholi of Uganda,” Olara Otunnu said.
“We went to 26 chiefdoms in Acholi. “When those Acholi chiefs invited us to talk to their people, we saw the strong spirits from them, the calls Acholi people are agitating for. “When we give the right leadership to those clan leaders, Acholi will rise up again to regain their past glory. “Acholi my people, let me tell you, in Otole dance, there is only one person who calls the dance, not because he is the best dancer or singer but because all participants synchronise as one.”
“Acholi have good leaders and good opinion leaders among them, we just have to mobilise them and we give them proper leadership skills and knowledge to manage our people,’” Olara Otunnu said.
Chief Justice Alphonse Owiny Dollo added his voice, “I don’t agree with the notion that unless the conflict between Acholi chiefs is solved then Roco Paco cannot go ahead. “No, not with me Owiny Dollo. “I can’t agree that we stop this Roco Paco. it’s like when two co-wives are fighting and when the house is on fire, then you go and stop those two women? “First you must put out the fire and you come and separate them.”
For starters, some Acholi chiefs have been contesting the position of paramount chief, saying the term of the incumbent Rwot Onen David Acana II has expired and even gone ahead to install a parallel paramount chief, Rwot Richard Santo Apire, and the conflict is still simmering on.
“When my opinion is needed, I will give in my legal brain and that issue will not even last for two hours,” Justice Owiny Dollo said of the conflict.
“If all neighboring people fear Acholi and they are envy Acholi, why should we rank so poorly in the poverty index?” Chief Justice Owiny Dollo asked.