By Opoka Denis
A planned meeting, convened by Rival chiefs who broke off from Ker Kwaro Acholi to elect a new Paramount chief, was on Friday afternoon cancelled abruptly.
The group had planned to hold the election of the new Paramount chief at Acaki Lodge in Kitgum Municipality but police sealed off the venue.
The group later retreated to Bomah Hotel in Kitgum town from where they proceeded to hold a closed door meeting with Anatoli Katungwesi, the Aswa East Regional Police Commander. The meeting lasted nearly three hours.
Addressing a joint press conference, the Atiak Chiefdom leader Rwot Richard Santo Apire, the interim chairperson of the group, said they had to call off the election to allow further consultation before the next course of action is announced.
ACP Katungwesi also told the press that the planned election of the new paramount chief was annulled for security reasons asking both parties to sit on a round table to find a common ground to end the impasse at the cultural institution.
The development comes more than 10 months after a section of chiefs broke off from the cultural institution and denounced the leadership of the Paramount Chief Rwot David Onen Acana II and his deputy Otinga Atuka Yai II.
The rival chiefs accuse Rwot Acana of among others failing to draft a constitution for the cultural institution ever since he was installed, attempts to sell off a piece of land belonging to the cultural institution, and poor leadership.
The rival chiefs then appointed Rwot Apire as an interim chairperson of a select executive committee to oversee the transition of leadership at the cultural institution and the drafting of a legal framework to help govern Ker Kwaro Acholi.
According to the new constitution was which gazzetted by the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development on month April, 19, 2024.the term of office of the new paramount chief shall be a five-year two term limit.
During the elections, the chiefs shall also elect the speaker of the council of chiefs and two deputy Paramount chiefs to support the paramount chief.
This comes after a section of leaders and elders from the Acholi Sub-region have called on the government to withhold emoluments to Ker Kwaro Acholi.
The cultural institution head gets a monthly payment of 5 million shillings from the government to help in the execution of duties at the institution.
However recently, the Parliament approved a UGX60M monthly salary payment to traditional and cultural leaders, a directive that was issued by President Museveni.
