An administrator has opposed plans to relocate the proposed Papa Emormor palace from Kakapel to Malaba.
Assistant county commissioner Charles Chesseto said the cultural institution should instead be
constructed at the Kakapel National Museum due to its historical and cultural
significance to the Iteso community.
Papa Emormor Paul Sande Emolot is
the Iteso cultural leader, with the current king hailing from Uganda.
Speaking during a fundraiser at
Kabukui on Wednesday, Chesseto said Kakapel remains the most appropriate site
for the palace, urging leaders to protect the community’s heritage.
“The Papa Emormor Palace should be
built at Kakapel National Museum because of its historical and cultural
importance to the Teso community. We should not allow this important project to
be moved elsewhere,” he said.
The administrator instead proposed
that the land earmarked for the palace project in Malaba be used for
income-generating activities under the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU), arguing that
such investments would provide long-term economic benefits to the community.
The ICU leadership and Busia
Governor Paul Otuoma had earlier agreed to construct the palace at Ikapolok
Farm in Malaba on land donated by the county government.
Chesseto, who has declared interest
in the Teso North parliamentary seat in 2027, also called for unity among Teso
leaders and residents, warning that divisions could derail the region’s
development agenda.
He cautioned politicians against
turning places of worship into political arenas, saying churches should remain
spaces of worship and spiritual nourishment.
“The church should remain a place of
worship and spiritual nourishment and not a battleground for competing
political interests,” he said.
He urged leaders representing the community at State House engagements to prioritise public needs, including youth employment, infrastructure development and improved social services, rather than personal interests.
