The making of Emorimor and everything in between

Deceased Iteso paramount chief, Papa Augustine Osuban Lemukol Emorimor will today be laid to rest in Serere District.

The Emorimor—who died aged 88 a fortnight ago—was enthroned as cultural leader in April 2000, having retired from public service in 1988.

As a cultural leader, he discharged duties of coordinating Iteso clans with grace while ignoring questions arising from the creation of the institution.

According to Prof Francis Omaswa, the title Emorimor is derived from an informal conflict resolution arrangement among Iteso that has held sway since time immemorial.

Inter-clan wars in the sub-region made the arrangement quite relevant.

Prof Omaswa says the warring clans would look for a neutral person—or lo imorimori atekerin—to act as a mediator during such conflicts. The sentence (lo imorimori atekerin) was shortened to Emorimor.

The Emorimor title, therefore, does not quite translate to the king of Iteso as per Prof Omaswa. This, he adds, is because Teso has never had a kingdom thus the Emorimor is not a hereditary position.

The first person to institutionalise the position was Paphras Imodot who founded the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU). Such were the humble beginnings that there were no governance structures for the institution.

Local leaders in Teso picked interest in the ICU when the promulgation of the 1995 Constitution, among other things, recognised cultural institutions and provided for how they would be run.

Humble beginnings

Prof Omaswa remembers that there was a consultative process in the whole of Teso.

The general consensus was that for one to qualify as Emorimor, they needed to have a weighty profile.

 When elections were conducted, Papa Augustine Osuban ascended to the throne unopposed.

Imodot had previously appointed himself as Emorimor, a position he held for two-and-half years after setting up the ICU.

Many people interpreted this move as an attempt to establish a kingdom in Teso and opposed him. At one time, there was an attempt on Imodot’s life at Brooks Corner in Serere.

During his reign, Imodot appointed Osuban as finance minister and also made three changes to the ICU constitution and its governance structures.

After a meeting in 1998 that attracted 2,000 delegates from Teso Uganda and Teso Kenya was convened to choose the substantive papa Emorimor Iteso. The meeting climaxed with Osuban being elected unopposed.

Before ascending to the throne, Osuban had a distinguished career in the Ministry of Agriculture.

He was highly learned, having started his education at Madera Boys Primary School before joining Holy Angels Junior Secondary School Madera from 1942 to 1950.

 He then enroled into St Peters College Tororo for his O-Level from 1951 to 1953.

Between 1957 and 1958, he joined the School of Agriculture Houghall Durham, UK for a national certificate in agriculture.

From 1958 to 1959, he was based in the Dundee Technical College Scotland, UK where he attained a Scottish Higher Certificate in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry.

He then was conferred a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture from Edinburgh University, Scotland. He later attained a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from West Virginia State University, USA, in 1965. He also successfully undertook specialised courses on either side of the Atlantic.

Returning home

Having started out as a laboratory assistant in the Agriculture ministry’s research station in Serere in 1954, he returned from further studies with a fire in his belly.

 In 1965, he was posted to Arapai Agricultural College where he taught diploma students agricultural economics, farm management and agricultural extension.

He was promoted to principal of the college in 1968 and superintended over a student population of 250 and 30 staff.

He served in various positions in the 1970s, including Northern Uganda agricultural officer (1970), assistant commissioner of agriculture (1972) and chairman government agent at Kakira Sugar Works after Idi Amin expelled Asians.

 In 1982, he was confirmed commissioner for agriculture and chief technical advisor to government and government policy. He held the position until 1989 when he retired aged 55.

As Emorimor, his calm demeanour was outstanding as he acted as a go-between of the people of Teso and government.

Through his lobbying, Teso was granted a public university. He also successfully advocated for the establishment of a fruit plant in Soroti at a time farmers were grappling with lack of market and storage facilities.

“In his 24-year reign as Emorimor, he still demonstrated his true nature of being a calm and peaceful man,” Alfred Okello, 75, a former staff at Arapai Agricultural College, said.

Mr Jonathan Maraka, the protocol media and public relations officer for ICU, says Emorimor lived to accomplish the tenets on which ICU was established.

At the height of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebellion in Teso Sub-region, Mr Maraka says Emorimor showcased his commitment towards the return of a sense of normality.

“During his tenure, we managed to have the Iteso cultural anthem, ICU constitution, drafted Iteso clan’s directory comprising all Iteso clans and their locations,” Maraka said.

Ms Hellen Adoa, the Serere District Woman Member of Parliament, said: “[The Emorimor] advised his subjects, he always remained so humble at all levels. When he came under attack from the subjects, he never accumulated anger.”

Background

According to Prof Francis Omaswa, the title Emorimor is derived from an informal conflict resolution arrangement among Iteso that has held sway since time immemorial.

Inter-clan wars in the sub-region made the arrangement quite relevant.