Acholi Chiefs Petition Ministry of Gender for Construction of Palace

Cultural leaders in the Acholi sub-region have petitioned the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development for an affirmative to support the construction of a befitting palace for the Paramount Chief, to serve as a unifying administrative and cultural hub for the 56 chiefdoms under the Acholi Cultural Institution (Ker Kwaro Acholi).

The appeal was formally presented during a cultural leaders’ meeting held in Gulu City on Thursday, attended by all clan chiefs, elders, and officials from the Ministry of Gender Labor and Social Department.

Chiefs Betty Tino of Koch clan, and Ben Acaye of Paicho, asked the government to have an affirmative action program for Acholi chiefdom so that its infrastructures are developed to the level of other chiefdoms in the country.

Michael Otim, the Prime Minister at Acholi Cultural Institution, said the current palace is not befitting of the standard of the paramount chief, and appealed to the government to construct a decent one.

Rwot David Onen Acana II, the Paramount Chief of Acholi, explained that the chiefs are the custodians of history, tradition, and community values, yet they operate without a proper palace and decent houses.

“The Acholi Cultural Institution deserves a palace that reflects the dignity of our people and the central role we play in reconciliation, development, and cultural preservation,” Acana said.

Currently, Ker Kwaro Acholi operates from a modest structure in Bardege-Layibi Division, Gulu City, which Acana said lacks enough space, stature, and facilities required to conduct official cultural business, host dignitaries, and preserve priceless cultural heritage.

In most cases, the paramount chief hosts dignitaries in his own house, while the conference hall also serves as a dining room. The staff working at the palace also do not have adequate office space.

Another issue raised was the poor housing state of the clan chiefs, citing the dilapidated condition of the homes originally built by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in the early 2000s.

The chiefs say the houses, constructed shortly after the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency as part of post-war recovery and resettlement efforts, are now in a state of ruin, with leaking roofs, cracked walls, and crumbling foundations.

Moses Mupapa, the Commissioner for Culture and Family Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, acknowledged the request and advised the chiefs to compile all their building needs for chiefs’ houses and the palace of the Paramount chief and formally present it to the Ministry of gender for action.

“I’m only requesting that you highlight all your building needs of those houses, submit them to the Ministry of Gender and see how we can help, including the palace,” Mupapa said.

The State Minister of Gender, Labor and Social development, Betty Amongi, said each year, the ministry identifies two or three palaces for rehabilitation or construction.

“If you make us know that you require a new palace, we shall forward the matter to the cabinet after getting a proposal from you for it to be included in the national budget. In the coming budget, there are three palaces earmarked for construction,” Amongi said.