President Yoweri Museveni has given a go aheaad for the creation of three new districts, namely Mukuju, Mulanda, and a third to be agreed on by the people in tororo district. He also accepted Tororo Municipality to be upgraded to a City status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This move comes as Uganda prepares for 2026 elections, which implies creation of new counties to accommodate more Members of Parliament (MPs) and other elective positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mulanda, one of the newly formed districts, is the home district of Ofwono Opondo, the Government Spokesman who recently announced his plans to context for a parliamentary seat .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opondo has recently expressed interest in contesting for the position of MP for the elderly in the upcoming elections, where he was set to challenge Dominic Mafwabi Gidudu, the current MP for the Eastern Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President proposed that Tororo Municipality be elevated to a city status and maintained as a neutral administrative unit, with the establishment of three new districts to accommodate both sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting, which was also attended by the Vice President H.E. Jessica Alupo, brought together leaders from the two ethnic groups who have long disputed the control and status of Tororo Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have agreed on the principle, Tororo becomes a neutral city, and we create three new districts, one called Mukuju, another Mulanda, and a third one whose name should be neutral. Some people want to call it Tororo, but we are saying no, go and get a neutral name,\u201d President Museveni said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President advised both groups to engage in peaceful and private discussions regarding the naming of the third district.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have to fight. Discuss among yourselves quietly. But it\u2019s not correct to say you\u2019re going to die over a name,\u201dhe emphasized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the proposed arrangement, the Iteso community would retain Mukuju, which is considered an uncontested area, and also benefit from the neutral Tororo City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, the Japadhola community would receive two new districts, including Mulanda and the third district, whose name is yet to be agreed upon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Museveni noted that this proposed structure would create fairness and restore balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe compromise should be that the Badama get two new districts, and the Bateso get one district and a city. Just like in Mbale where there is both Mbale District and Mbale City, Tororo can also have a district and a neutral city,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also criticized the prolonged ethnic contests which have stalled development in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou people are really wasting time for your people. What\u2019s crucial is bringing services nearer to the people. That\u2019s the reason we broke up larger districts like Bukedi, which once covered Pallisa and Busia, to create smaller, more accessible units,\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quoting the scripture and drawing from his personal experiences, the President warned against divisive politics rooted in land ownership and ethnicity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Museveni urged both sides to move beyond historical divisions and focus on the bigger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEven if you had said the whole of Tororo Town goes to the Bateso, so what? What matters is service, not ownership,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came to government, some people tried to raise old colonial boundary politics like parts of Rakai being in Buganda but I said leave it. I\u2019m not interested in those distractions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President emphasized that the conflict over the name \u201cTororo\u201d should not derail the broader goals of unity and national development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe should not get stuck on the name Tororo. What matters most is wealth creation, not the name itself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He underscored that since Tororo is already a well-known name, allowing the town to retain that identity while assigning a neutral name to any new district would be a sensible compromise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we say Tororo remains with the town, then the new district can take on a neutral name. That should not divide us,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President questioned the logic of both groups claiming exclusive rights to the name Tororo, reminding them that the Japadhola and Iteso both hail from the same region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow can the two teams each insist on naming one district Tororo? This place is home to both communities.\u201dhe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reflecting on Uganda\u2019s broader decentralization agenda, he reminded leaders that the core purpose of creating new districts was to bring government services closer to the people, not to deepen ethnic divides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLet us not allow the name of a place to become more important than the wellbeing of our people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President concluded by acknowledging the positive shift in tone among the leaders present and urged them to finalize their internal discussions and communicate their decisions through the Vice President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt least now you are beginning to be balanced. Finally, the Bateso have said, \u2018Let\u2019s be mutual instead of fighting over Tororo.\u2019 That\u2019s progress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On her part , H.E. Alupo presented a compromise plan, following a consultative meeting with representatives from both groups on April 22, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Addressing the gathering,H.E Alupo noted that the two communities had finally come to a shared understanding aimed at promoting peace, equity, and service delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She revealed that both groups agreed to elevate Tororo Municipality to city status, with the new city structure formed from the current Tororo North and South constituencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She explained that Kwapa Town Council would also be elevated to a municipality, while a new Mulanda District would be created, carved from Budama Central and Budama South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the same spirit of decentralization and access to services, Nagongera Town Council would also be granted municipality status. Additionally, she confirmed that an agreement had been reached to establish one more district in the eastern part of the area, whose boundaries and name would be determined later through mutual consultation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Hon. Jacob Oboth Oboth, commended the Vice President for her pivotal role in steering the dialogue toward a peaceful solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYesterday, both sides met her and gave their stand and I want to thank her again today. Thank you, Vice President, for your leadership,\u201d Hon. Oboth stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting was also attended by His Royal Highness Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor, the cultural leader of the Japadhola people,Emorimor Papa Paul Sande Emolot, the Cultural Leader of the Iteso people,Hon. Hellen Grace Asamo, the Minister of State for Disability Affairs, Dr. Tanga Odoi, the Chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, religious and cultural leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Editor: msserwanga@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Yoweri Museveni has given a go aheaad for the creation of three new districts, namely Mukuju, Mulanda, and a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14334,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[65],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14333","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Screenshot_20250423_230721_Gmail.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9391,"url":"https:\/\/prowebinhost.com\/anzu\/village-talk-peace-freedom-funerals-and-problematic-museveni-women-ofwono-opondo\/","url_meta":{"origin":14333,"position":0},"title":"Village talk; peace, freedom, funerals and problematic Museveni women- Ofwono Opondo","author":"UgandaUpdate","date":"July 5, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Ofwono Opondo My apologies to those who have heard me on the subject of Mulanda, my birth place to which I have some bragging rights over, and so don\u2019t impose a gag on me not to write or say anything publicly about it. 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