The long quest for equity by Tororo County

Protestors march towards Tororo Town recently. President Museveni is scheduled to meet leaders from West Budama and Tororo County for his final decision on July 28. COURTESY PHOTO

What you need to know:

Unfair bondage. Whereas the other counties in Bukedi have gone on to enjoy the benefits of autonomy, Tororo County and West Budama have for more than 10 years been kept in a forced, unequal bondage that favours Budama and severely disenfranchises Tororo, Fredrick Angura & Annet Nyakecho write.

A lot has been said about the demand for Tororo County to be a separate district from West Budama. The controversy has been centred on where Tororo Municipality falls even when the facts are clear that it falls under Tororo County.
We want to state that ignoring facts will never change facts. But let’s start with an overview of what transpired during our very useful meetings with President Museveni:

May 30 at Kisozi
Three positions were agreed upon, these included the following;
Reality of the conflict between the Iteso and Jopadhola is true as reflected in the refusal by the people of Tororo County to participate in LC5 by-election in Tororo District whose outcome they knew even before the election.
To establish the legality of the name Tororo – this was later to be handled by Attorney General.
To establish the boundaries of Tororo County and west Budama – this was to be handled by the ministry of lands, specifically survey department. Tororo District to be divided into two; West Budama and Tororo County.

July 11 at Rwakitura
The President stated that the document presented to him indicates that three parishes were added to Tororo Municipality. These included Chaminula, Bison Maguria and Nyangole. However, this submission was rejected by the delegates from Tororo County which prompted the President to make an urgent call to the commissioner surveys who notified him that the boundaries of Tororo Municipality in Tororo County have never changed since 1956.
The meeting was adjourned to the following day to involve officials from the ministries of Lands, Local Government, and Attorney General’s office.

12 July at State House Entebbe
All the three ministries (local government, lands and attorney general’s office) were represented.
Ministry of Lands clarified on the boundaries of Tororo County and stated that “Tororo municipality is squarely in Tororo County and has never expanded beyond the boundaries of Tororo county” as indicated in the 1956 map of Bukedi, Bugisu and Mbale townships/districts.

This submission was challenged by Mr Oboth Oboth (MP West Budama) who demanded that the original colonial maps be sought for from the colonial office in London. The request was granted and the President directed the Attorney General and ministry of Lands to send a team to London to find the maps.
In the meantime, he requested for two weeks to share the issue with Cabinet and NRM caucus and the next meeting is scheduled for 28 July.

Tororo Municipality’s location, growth
Tororo Town was demarcated in 1963 from the then Tororo Sub-county of Tororo County. To allow Mbale and Bugisu to develop their own, the headquarters of Bukedi District with its’ six counties (Pallisa, Budaka –Bugwere, Bunyole, West Budama, Tororo and Samia-Bugwe) was moved from Maluku in Mbale, to Tororo Town in 1967.
For practical reasons, Pallisa sub-district was constituted in 1991, being composed of Pallisa and Budaka Bugwere counties of mother Bukedi.

As an administrative headquarters, as well as a commercial centre, Tororo Town grew and attained municipality status in 1985.
Although the location of Tororo Municipality has been a subject of unwarranted speculation in recent years, records available and presented to the President by the ministry of Lands officials show that Tororo Municipality is in Tororo County, and has had no additions of land from outside Tororo County with its current boundaries remaining as in the 1956 and 1964 Maps.

Bondage of Tororo to hegemonic West Budama
Whereas the other counties have gone on to enjoy the benefits of autonomy, and despite an earlier resolution passed in Tororo District council on October 29, 2005, after a vote of 21 to 20 for creation of more districts, (Tororo County inclusive), Tororo County and West Budama have for more than 10 years been kept in a forced unequal and acrimonious bondage that favours Budama and severely disenfranchises Tororo.
The size, population and district council population of West Budama grossly overrides that of Tororo County, and ensures a permanent majority, with the result that for all the 15 or more years of forced bondage to Budama, all the LC5 chair persons and Women MP’s have been from West Budama or West Budama-leaning.

What Tororo County seeks
1) Self-determination in matters to do with their livelihood. This requires a setting where the people have a majority for election of their leaders, and major decision making.
2) Cultural identity in an atmosphere in which its peoples can develop and practice their culture without hindrance, intimidation, or being overshadowed. This includes the reclamation of the endangered Ateso language.

3) Equity in line with what has been meted out to the other counties of Bukedi District in granting district status without challenge or debate and in recognition of related dominant cultural entities.
4) The responsibility for hosting the sub-regional headquarters in Tororo Town ought to be a blessing and not a curse Tororo County. Neither should Tororo County be penalised or taxed for accommodating on its grounds all the peoples of Bukedi and beyond.

Way forward - autonomy
With the above four principle objectives in mind, Tororo County has for over a decade recommended and repeatedly requested and/or demanded autonomy along the following lines:
1) The division or separation of the two remaining counties of Tororo and West Budama which constitute the current Tororo District into two separate districts along the colonial boundaries. The two new administrative units would have the following curative ingredients or solutions to the underlying factors to the current contentions:

a) Each of the two dominant contending communities (Iteso/Jopadhola) has a distinct democratic majority in the new districts.
b) Two cultural zones within which each dominant cultural group (Iteso/Jopadhola) is free to practice their culture and exercise leadership.
c) Respect the earlier solution brokered by the colonial administration as reflected in the 1947 boundary between Tororo and West Budama.

d) Nobody is going to leave Tororo Municipality just because it will belong to Tororo County because land ownership is very clear. Our brothers and sisters from West Budama should be asking government for infrastructure upgrade in either Nagongera or Kisoko and request for a municipal status.
e) Tororo County district will never be an ethnic district as claimed by other protagonists and this because of the multi ethnic nature of Tororo County.

Therefore, granted a district status, Tororo County will work with each and every one, co-exist with other ethnic groups found therein and ensure peace and harmony exists.
What Tororo County demands rightfully is a district status based on the existing boundaries of the former Bukedi counties, nothing more or less.

Mr Angura is the MP Tororo South County and Ms Nyakecho MP Tororo North County