Ahead of the planned election of the king of the Iteso (Emorimor) on July 23, there was a debate on a local radio station on who was likely to inherit the community’s kingship.
But a listener called the vernacular radio station and informed the presenters that kingship in Teso was not hereditary.
On October 22, Teso received a new Emorimor who was crowned at a colourful ceremony at the Soroti Sports grounds in Eastern Uganda.
Sande Emolot took over after the death of King Augustine Lemukol Papa Osuban on February 5 at Mulago National Hospital in Kampala.
Osuban had been transferred to the facility from Soroti Regional Hospital, where he had been admitted with Covid-19 related complications.
Emolot was unanimously endorsed on July 23 in Soroti by more than 2,000 delegates.
Emolot had no competitors in the race to succeed Osuban.
Had there been someone else eyeing the throne, an election would have been conducted and delegates allowed to determine who their new king would be.
In Teso, unlike other traditional leadership establishments, kingship is won through election and not inheritance.
Under a hereditary monarchy, all the monarchs come from the same family, and the crown is passed down from one member of the family to another.
“In Teso, our leader who we refer to as Emorimor is elected. He does not inherit power,” Fredrick Adungo, the Iteso Cultural Union deputy prime minister in charge of Kenya region told the Star.
“His election is conducted when the office falls vacant upon death, incapacitation, bankruptcy or when the king has been accused of abuse of office which is usually followed by an impeachment.”
Adungo said the Emorimor plays a vital role of ensuring unity within the community thrives.
“He is the pillar of unity in the community and he is also the overall spokesperson of the Iteso as a people. Besides, he plays advisory roles, solving conflicts among his people and between the Iteso and other communities.”
This, Adungo said, was evident in early 2000 when the Emorimor played a primary role in brokering a peace deal between the Iteso and the Japadhola of Tororo over a boundary dispute.
In the row, the Japadhola claimed ownership of a piece of land occupied by the Iteso in the Eastern Uganda district.
The deputy prime minister said other roles of the Emorimor include strengthening the Ateso language and culture, besides addressing issues of food security and empowering the Iteso economically.
Lawyer Vitalis Omulepu, an active member of the Iteso Cultural Union, said while many people expect the king to remain politically neutral, the Emorimor plays a key mandate in determining the direction the community takes, particularly during elections.
Many political leaders seek the king’s advise ahead of elections.
Ahead of the August 9 general elections, almost all leaders seeking re-election in Teso sought for the Emorimor’s endorsement.
Those who sought the king’s support were handed a spear and a shield – warrior symbols in Teso.
Omulepu said the leopard-spotted regalia won by the king is a symbol of strength.
Adungo said the community associates itself with the leopard because the community’s behaviour resembles that of the wild animal.
“The Iteso are calm people but when provoked can cause serious damage,” Adungo said.
“In all the battles we fought against other tribes when the Iteso began migration from South Sudan, we lost none. That explains why we were able to move all the way from South Sudan to Kenya.”
He said the changing dynamics of politics around the world have forced the kings of Teso to work closely with the national, regional and county governments.
This, Adungo said, is meant to help source for support from the government in aid of the community’s development.
“Unity is very paramount to the Iteso,” Robert Murega, an elder andalso an active member of the Iteso Cultural Union told the Star.
“Our king is the head of the community. He is a champion for development and he ensures good relationships with the government and neighbors at all levels.”
He said the king also guides the community on religious matters. Adungo said the Emorimor has powers to punish subjects who break the law.
Edited by A.N
