Lango cultural foundation, was not given, Shs200 million, government

The attention of the steering committee for Lango Conference 2012 (LC12) has been drawn to a story on page 16 of the Daily Monitor of December 10 titled “Paramount Chief to resolve divisions”. In the story, it is said and I quote “The Foundation recently received about Shs200 million from the government and also collected Shs11 million in a fund raising drive, which some members said it was not accounted for.”

Lango Cultural foundation has not received any such amount of money from the government or from elsewhere for LC12. So far, we have only managed to raise a paltry Shs11 million in cash and Shs54 million in pledges from a fund-raising dinner held on December 5 at Hotel Africana.

The recent trip of the Paramount Chief and other officials to USA and UK to meet and mobilise the Lango Diaspora community for the LC12 was paid for by the State within the provision of Schedule 2 Part I of The Institution of Traditional or Cultural Leaders Act 2011 (The Act). The cost, some if it paid directly to service providers such as for airline ticket and visas, does not amount to Shs200 million as mentioned in the article. Support for LC12 from any quarter, including from the government shall be declared and accounted for.

Lango Conference shall take place in Lira from December 27 -29 2012. It will be attended by community leaders from home and from the Diaspora to discuss the development of Lango, within the framework of Section 9 of the Act. The objective is to come up with a Lango Development Agenda for a coordinated effort to plug historical development deficit and improve quality of lives of the people.

The LC12 official programme is now out and registration of delegates ongoing. Logistical challenges are being sorted out within the means presently available to the committee. The Paramount Chief is also engaged in a number of initiatives, including meetings (as was rightly pointed out in the article) with various leaders of Lango to address residual queries and harmonise positions in the run-up to the conference.

Lastly, the conference is not serving any political, religious or sectarian interest. It only seeks to have a united prosperous Lango within a peaceful and all-embracing Uganda.

Michael M Odongo,
Kampala