WHY ENCOURAGE DIFFERENT COLOURS IN KARAMOJA?

“The golden opportunity we missed” has, to me, now become the golden opportunity we reaped! Is there anyone who disputes this fact?  Yes, I mean, we picked a lot from the message that John Bosco Ngoya unwrapped from his Karimojong heart last week after attending a ‘family’ ceremony in which sons, daughters and elders of the semi-arid state had converged to celebrate the survival of one of the sons.

 

Thanks are to God! The boy escaped a real national disaster. His name is Maj. Okidi, the UPDF pilot that survived death early this month. Don’t forget - the debacle claimed seven lives of fellow countrymen. The combatants encountered this mess in Kenya, when the plane crashed. They were heading to that failed state –Somalia...for a wrestle with the mighty Al-Shabab militants. So the thanks-giving ceremony was really a welcome thing. Thanks to Oscar, Amuno and all other living things that crafted the event. I didn’t attend it, but I hope all those who attended the thing went with the ‘prayer heart’ of God and not that ‘cursing heart’ of God’s lost son - Lucifer.

For the uninformed; some dirty exchange of written dycentry came up after this prayer opportunity for the lucky pilot. It was something that took place in Kampala any way. Ngoya John Bosco stated this of the party:
  

"Dear Sons and daughters of Karamoja,

Oscar Kanyangareng, sometime last week placed an open invitation for a great many of us to attend the thanksgiving prayer to be held at Victory Church for Major Okidi, the only pilot who made it to Somalia amidst the accident that rocked the nation a short while ago.  I thought this was an opportunity for us to celebrate this wonderful achievement as a region and probably galvanize our efforts around this event while strategists could be crafted in to see how to move Karamoja forward.  The service went great with the pastor blessing all the leaders and praying for the nation.  However, the reception turned a little off the mark since it turned into an Abim district affair (Ethur), a clan thing.  Got disappointed and walked out. I started cogitating, "When shall the Karimojong forget of these petty divisions and rise above the ....ness? Not sour graving but just wondering when we shall have a new breed of Karimojong (I hope the Ethur are Karimojong) galvanizing others for greater courses of action."

In my view, Ngoya’s outburst above is crucial because; it gives us a chance to identify the problems we have, but most importantly, I feel the message also gives us a chance to shoot the breeze on solutions for grievances at hand, so that we can make our Karamoja a better place to live in. Unfortunately, some people have chosen to take it wrongly. Some have gone personal, others are shouting simply because they crave to defend that -their Mammy’s food is best. Even those who have read wheelbarrows of books are engaging in this stupid tag. What for?

For me, a person who speaks out his mind is no enemy. He is actually a true friend. But one who represses issues at heart is enemy number one! When we tend to over-defend ourselves, we tend to sound guilty. Some people have made Ngoya’s statement look like a legal battle where lawyers have to scratch hard to ensure a win. In this way, some ungrateful friends have wrongly depicted Ngoya as a villain; others have simply exposed their weaknesses. Reading through the mails, I was able to identify probable traitors and credible Karimojong; –kudos Dr. Limilim, bravo to you Mark Ilukol! Thanks Oscar for your humble and clarifying remarks, but also JBN, let the free thinking roll on.

What is wrong with stating that there is divisionism in our region and probably suggesting that we need to sort it out? In fact, let me add that the thing is there and it may eat us up one day for as long as we are timid to quash it out. Do we need president Museveni to declare that Abim is a different region? Even if that is done, clan conflicts will still develop, then family clashes will grow, then we go back to live the life of lonely dangerous warriors in the bushes! Are we going forward or are we shrinking?

Some time back, I applied for a job in one of our districts and got shortlisted. But stress! The pain from common talks like to segregate according to; ngitoburit, ngimatheniko, ngibokora, ngidotho, ngijie, ngipian, ngitepeth, ngipokot...disheartened me! I did not attend the interview because I saw it as wastage of time, money, knowledge (that I could pour in front of the panel) and wastage indeed of integrity (as I felt the gang in the panel would look at me with prejudice).

The bottom-line:  The region is infested with tribalistic propensity and we should encourage talking it out, for it is only what we are told and we know that we can work on. What we don’t want to know will remain a problem for ever. Finally, I must boldly mention that Ngoya gave his view freely; Oscar gave a clarifying statement on the issues raised by Ngoya, but no! JB Amuno and Sagal Abraham, you traded in written dysentery. In your statements you went personal and you did not suggest any genuine solution...

Praises for you all.