Bt Tolit Ivan
The opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) from Acholi sub region have come under intense scrutiny for authoring a document to the government in a bid to put aside their political differences and work towards the betterment of their people without consulting other key stakeholders including the electorates and the elders.
On March 13, 2025, they met President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and presented to him a 72 page document dubbed “Operation Harmony Document” outlining the Acholi opposition MPs’ demands for working with the NRM government.
The document aims to foster dialogue and deepen understanding of the evolving dynamics in the sub-region, particularly regarding government development interventions and their interaction with the national political landscape.
Among the key proposals in the document include transitional justice and development, agricultural commercialization and value addition, transparency in resource exploitation, and education and skilling.
On Monday the MPs presented the document to over 100 Acholi Elites during a consultative meeting held at Kacoke Madit Hotel in Gulu City.
However a section of the elites poke holes in the document and also criticized the MPs for not consulting key stakeholders before presenting it to the President.
According to the elites, insecurity in Apaa, Karamojong problems and Environmental issues were not captured in the document.
Prof. Sunday Okello Angoma, says the document lack table of contents stating clearly problems in Acholi with proper references and statistics.
Prof. Okello asked the MPs and the technical team behind the document to sit down and restructure it before presenting it to the President.
Francis Ngom-Okwe, Transitional Justice Expert, also said the timing of the document brings a lot of questions as the 2026 general elections approaches.
In response Okin Phillip Ojara, the Chairperson of the Operation Harmony Document, apologized for not involving key stakeholders while preparing the document before it was presented to the President.
He says they are going to meet all the key stakeholders in Acholi to get their views before presenting it to the President in May.
Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi Division MP, explained that their recent decisions weren’t a betrayal but about exploring a constructive engagement with the government.
Mapenduzi noted that initially, they had contemplated holding consultations with a wide group of individuals to get their opinions and views prior to meeting President Museveni, but they held back on their idea.
He said they wanted to first present their document, which proposes a course of action for addressing challenges affecting Acholi, and get a reaction from the president if it works, before consulting people in the Acholi sub-region.
The document also calls for a robust Transitional Justice Framework to address the psychological scars left by past conflicts, establishing a Mental Rehabilitation Center in the region, urgent rehabilitation of Gulu Regional Hospital and upgrading Kitgum General Hospital to a Regional Referral Hospital and the establishment of new hospitals in Omoro and Amuru districts.
They also pushed for the rehabilitation of key roads to improve access to services and markets.
