THE PEACE GARDEN, TEPETH SURGEONS VOW TO CONTINUE WITH FGM

Tepeth children learn how to use a bow and arrow, not gun anymore

His aim is to bridge the current hostility gap between Tepeth and Matheniko people. As a true son of a nomad, raised probably in the Kraal and later just ‘smuggled’ to school, he is well aware of the prime cause of the chronic aggression between the two groups, - it is mainly livelihoods. Livelihoods for nowadays, yet during the darker days of his forefathers it was seen fully from the ‘fame’ perspective. Today the justifications are; 50% reputation and the other half is the need for- yes, livelihood.

MP John Baptist Lokii has acquired land at the border spot (‘main crossing point’ –to use a military phrase) of the two tribes and initiated a crop growing project. According to a source closer to the Matheniko MP, the legislator has hired labour force both Tepeth and Matheniko to do the work. Currently, land preparation has started with workers trekking from the two opposite directions at daybreak to converge at the dream garden site located near Musas parish between Katikekile Sub County and Kodonyo parish –Moroto district.

In doing the above, peace maker Lokii intends to reduce animal raids, shrink wanton killings, create friendship by creating livelihoods for the two waring communities he represent in parliament. I find his strategy brilliant because the key motive behind raids, killings and other forms of thuggery in Karamoja today is the need for what to eat. It is thus not a joke like most people have taken it when almost everyone in villages in Karamoja give “Akoro”(hunger) as their biggest of the problems in the land nowadays.

How it might work: by clearing and creating a common workplace in a former battle-field, there will be no more hideout for the trouble causers (raiders and murderers). Secondly, there is a high possibility of satisfying the needs (through employment) of the dormant, outmoded and docile youth that are always involved in causing violence. Thirdly, by having a joint workforce (Tepeth and Matheniko) Mr. Lokii is capable of improving the social relationship –friendship between the Matheniko and their mountain counterparts. The ‘peace garden’ might also act as an assembly point where peace dialogues can be conducted and this will be good for the peace actors. Other development activities targeting the mixed up group can as well be initiated later by different agencies.

For the initiative, I feel Mr. Lokii needs to be commended and supported. Where are the other leaders? What are their plans? We might all not be good at digging foundations but we can join in at other stages of the construction of the peace block. Why don’t we put hands together so as to put an end to mayhem in our land as we look for development projects for our people.

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Shocking news from Tapac Sub County is that FGM surgeons have vowed to continue chopping ‘aerials’ of their women including young girls as their culture demands, provided the promise by government to support them in alternative livelihood projects is not realized.

“We were promised five million shillings last year, but we have not seen even a sign of anything” said one surgeon who preferred anonymity here. The mutilators considered FGM as a source of income according to an opinion leader in Lopelipel village.  Other Tepeth reason that the practice is such that the culture is kept alive, and some elders maintain that when a woman is mutilated then her sexual urge is reduced and she will not cheat on her husband.

For these surgeons to claim for payment upon accepting to abandon the practice is surprising. Whoever made the money promise should hurry back and change the statement or fulfil the assurance before these women lose their heads. However, in my opinion, dishing out money to these people is no correct answer. If FGM was the only livelihood opportunity for these women, then - alternative work should be created for the surgeons. I hope there was really no mention of money made to these women as they now widely claim.

Although available data indicates that the practice of FGM is fast diminishing, “at least 120 million girls and women have experienced FGM in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the practice is concentrated” reports UNICEF. The children UN body adds that “given the present trends, as many as 30 million girls under the age of 15 may still be at risk.”  In Uganda FGM is pronounced amongst the Sebei, Pokot and Tepeth people. Thus, the fight against this depravity should be a collective effort and should be sustained until the practice is killed, buried.

 

 

 

HOTEL D’ANDRIAS, BITTER- BETTER MEMORIES OF 2012

One thing that -in my opinion, some upstart moguls tend to miss out in their businesses is the need to do publicity for their products.  On Monday last week at a workshop in Moroto, an effect of this blooper by business people came out. John Engwau one of the participants in the workshop was asked to give a description of how he would leave the location of the training and go Hotel D’Andrias. Engwau extemporaneously had this to say: “you mean there is another hotel in Moroto called D’andrias?” A quarter of the room broke into laughter, the other three quarters did not know why the laughter. Great hotel, not advertised! People do not know it.

Hotel D’Andrias is one new guesthouse in Moroto. It is located in Camp Swahili along that road leaving the bus stop upwards to the UN/KALIP offices. Well, the environment of its location is the only thing that can disturb your sniffing organ. The market borders it from the south, but the northern neighbourhood is the one that I and most customers to this brand new piece of heaven might feel -needs upgrade, from the current ‘pupu-land’ to something else. Something better. Something ‘pupuless’ or’ pupufree’.

The last time I was at D’Andrias was fortnight ago. This hotel’s air of superiority should come from its design –planning. Most services you will get under one roof. There is a shop and a bar. Also, a restaurant and posh accommodation, –lodges. All credit definitely should go to Andrew, the proprietor of this simple paradise, but let me not exclude the serious imperfections there in. The menu cards are not there or are not exposed to customers –unless you ask for it. Thus, either you eat first, then ask the price of what you’ve already swallowed or ask first - depending on who you are pocket-wise.  I believe hotel dealers ought to realise that a well exposed menu sheet/cards helps a customer to take decisions as we are obviously different economically. The restaurant ceiling also, is already smoldered off.  Smoke from the kitchen is continuing to eat up this top part and I thought someone in charge should sort this out.

The bottom-line: Hotel D’Andrias is new, cool and deserves to be discovered by you adventurous friends. Although, -unless some changes have been effected (which is probable) I still carry this horrible image of a lunch service given to your blogger two weeks back from this palace. I was served by this young, dirty –‘sticky’, poorly dressed-‘unknowledgeable’ girl. She brought food. I lost appetite… but I cannot lose the hope that the place could have become better. More credit is also affordable for the creatively spent at the restrooms. Here; however married or wedded you are, the comfort available can make you easily score smooth goals at an away game.

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The year 2012 started for me on a sad note and closed on an equally difficult way. There is no way I can forget the scene of armed men whom I could knock to death with a Japanese  -two wheeled Crap. In trying to ‘knock to kill’, I possibly saved my dear life. This is towards January of the 2012. I also encountered another upsetting experience that somewhat was becoming a blessing in disguise as the world up to the overseas level got to dial my ‘Kabiriti-enclosed’ line. However, I later felt blessed, felt prophetic as a ‘prove it all’ situation later happened…

More pain of the year came my way towards the end, in December; I survived a motor accident on Kotido- Abim road. Due to this poverty of transport means for Karamoja, I used a trailer to make it to Morulem where my people live. Until tomorrow next, I cannot forget the cry of fellow country people who thought we were gone by the time Umar the careless driver overturned the MP’s trailer with us inside at Alerek. This accident took place 18^th of the last month of 2012. After this incident, I suffered another serious psychological beating before making it to 2013.

My advice to you reader is to dump off any temptation to prefer a free thing against what digs a latrine in your pocket. On my humble return from a rough journey to village – I chose passing health services in Mbale to check up if am not dead internally. Simon was lucky to take another quick decision the moment this excited district driver told us to wait a half hour to travel to Moroto. Had I followed Nangiro to the Limestone truck option, I wouldn’t have spent two wasteful days in Mbale.

The cunning machine wheel controller packed my luggage on the JMC crap and disappeared after taking ordinary 20,000/- from the blogger. Although it’s true that I might possess more sense, sensibility than this corn-man, he tossed me until my blood level completely came down. He was a winner in his own way, me a real loser. The last thing God did to me was to make him accept to come and try to deceive me again that we would take off immediately. I simply carried off my poor luggage and opted for the only genuine public transport; the Somali manned Gateway bus.

Finally, I had the ‘wash it off’ moment at Hotel Leslona on the last day of the year. Despite the money making boredom of Mzee Gee and the crew, I managed to rub off the pictures of wrongs of 2012. Now am on the case of this 2013 with all tools needed. People make New Year’s resolutions but they procrastinate a lot along the way and lose focus at the end of the day. No resolution for me after failing to fulfil the one I made in 2011…I needed to read the Holy book from page one at Genesis to page last at Revolutions. The deal failed for me but the lesson was learnt, don’t pronounce a resolution –just do it like the Americans! I say so.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DEFILEMENT, I Was to Submit Self to Police

When friend Lowot John Apalokwang invited me to go visit his family over the weekend a fortnight ago, my thoughts gyrated around a banquet were there would be a river of meat, milk , ngikawo, pumpkins (my most favourite African food)... most of the newly harvested crops of the Tepeth.  I never anticipated any form of entertainment. Even the common edonga dance and the traditional Karimojong songs meant to welcome visitors home did not cross my mind.

The walk to Lomudita village killed 30 minutes- climbing from the plane Tapac Sub County area. My companion, Napore            Lodikiri psychologically reduced this time to some five minutes as he had a lot of verbal work. Napore is definitely an outstanding chronicler of Tepeth history; talking about villages to animals, to birds, to raids, to rocks, to roads, to people and to land...  

Short visits in Africa are naturally at evening hours. Your blogger defied the order due to personal and obvious reasons – safety.  Thus, by 10 am I was already at my pal’s domicile. Apart from the scarcity of safe drinking water and the muscle shredding way home, Lomudita is that gorgeous settlement on top of Mt Moroto.  Everything is an indicator of a typical African village life; from the mowing of a cow to the cry of goats and to that time-telling crowing of a cock.  

Lowot is such a blissful, calculative and wonderful creature. He deliberately fixed my visit on a village boogie day and the dance is commonly called Naleyo. Now I know why he chose this specific day, and I can also say that my friend is a man with a very long vision and probably one of the few heavenly men living on Planet earth. As we crossed the last river to our destination, voices of young happy girls could be heard at a close range down the brook. They were evidently -as their tickling laughter could tell; taking bathe, to purify and beautify themselves in preparation for the boogie. For Naleyo. Immediately, the wide clandestine smile on Napore’s face was able to ring me a bell. I think this occasion was planned by Lowot and Napore so it could strike me like a thunderstorm. 

Naleyo is one of those uproarious, yet delicate traditional Karimojong dances. I spent some two hours at the family home of Lowot. It is precious to stay on with the practices of our forefathers. Deep down-villagers are up to this and there is everything good about it.  There was pure honey ready for licking, and there was a honey-brew ready for drinking. Although am a teetotaller ‘in most cases’, I started this Pilsner-like brew with a mere sip, then a mouthful, a swallow and a gallop until I was -as my colleagues wanted –ready for Naleyo! Good thing, I always keep my promise – never to hit the sky due to alcohols...

The dance started at about 2:00PM just behind the Manyatta. It had started earlier; we joined in some third round of it. The field was already packed by the time I entered with my Canon. How they do it: young women and girls go to the centre, the man – commander of the event moves all round to ensure things are done rightly and...Then ladies move round to pick on the men of their choices. When picked, the man joins the dance by openly handling/squeezing the breasts of the woman that chose him. Songs like for blue movies are sung in the chorus as the Naleyo dance is on.

I did not know that there was something ready for me. Some living thing, an infantile item. Lowot and Napore are terrible criminals! They had told the toddler to ensure she is well scrubbed, well clad on a new vest that the duo had contributed and procured. She was then misled that as the dance starts she should come pick on LOwiny. More words of serious male-wisdom were inserted into the poor girls head about poor me.  

Well; little Iriama Nakoru is not really poorly gifted by God. She has that attractive face; she is well endowed with a sweet seating facility, she has an exotic complexion and her smiles are charmingly romantic. I also recognised beauty due to her delicate breasts and shapely legs, but I could not fall down for all these because she is juvenile, - very young, physically innocent and am faithfully engaged to another angle! The imagination I drew on realising the plan of my boys was how I would be pushed into police cells. Honestly, I think I would submit myself to police for defilement.

Otherwise Naleyo dance is such an event for the local community in Karamoja.  According to Lomuarengan, the dance commander in chief; Naleyo signifies good harvest season and the closer of the year. As a socialisation event, the dance is also exploited by young men and girls to identify suitors. Reader, I didn’t do it because am a responsible Ugandan citizen!

GOD PRESIDED OVER OUR ‘SECRET FRIEND’ END OF YEAR PARTY

This should have not been the topic for weekend, but it came at short-notice and since this site demands according to time and propinquity, it has appeared first and the big Naleyo story had to sleep under carpet –but it isn’t dead, it will not die because it has my full protection.

My friends- people who walked with me the childhood road and those that I shared school, drinks and deals, understand classically what I am; reserved, polite, simple, down-to-earth, frank ,moderately critical, very sensitive, slightly ‘jokative’, smart and self driven African child. Some take this traits for granted and look at me from the sky, others become snobbish towards my  manners, but a greater majority of men and women in the environment I live surely do not understand and only keep changing views about what I could be. Meantime, my work is to take advantage of all different judgements/ thoughts of men to unveil details of the things they are made up of and the things they can make at all moments; moments of smiles and moments of tears. Fortunately, I always only prick on the former- moments of smiles!

My weak body was obliged to attend the party at work place Friday evening. Strange things are meant to happen in life. True, the party opened for me in a very poignant mood. Apart from the loss of appetite, almost loss of sight, - sight of well-skimpily dressed daughters of Eve present, loss of strength to sustain the upward supporting push of the wooden chair, I also lost thoughts. The DJ boy was responsible at last for my positive emotional teardrops when he played one of my most striking classical songs from the western world. Then my attention stabilised and concentrated on the attitude and the joy of the party members.

Here was a party that ensured all members showed love for any workmate through the ‘secret friend gift’ game. Each of us bought presents, - precious commodities for the randomly selected partners and it played magic! Strange, thrilling, stupid, yet completely unbelievable situations. After realising that my secret friend was already so obvious, so ordinary and too close for the world to believe the secret affordable for me and him, I just sat back like a disappointed hunter waiting for any godsend consolation.  It didn’t come.

What came instead was another most obvious individual calling me secret friend. He is more of a brother, same place of birth- he was the least individual I expected to pick my name. It happened and the man shakily, ordinarily and dryly runs to me with his black disposable paper bag! His gift was the most poorly wrapped, but one of the best stuff given out that night. Some friend received mere pictures drawn by a poor marker pen artist, others received ordinary handkerchief, some settled with BIC pens made in Kenya. My other good friend celebrated the day with a bottle of whisky wrapped like a tin of Gold...but every soul was happy, I think God presided over this party and he made the choice for the men and women.

Dance; there was a dancing competition. There were no specific judges to genuinely specify that Sarah the tiny, flexible, animated woman beat Sofia the Scandinavian visitor. How Sofia displayed her talents was -well magical, she danced like a spoon but Sara was a fork...she had space and - that air of rhythm that obviously challenged the anti-rhythmical display of shapely beautiful Sofia from metropolis. The MC hurried to allow a class of conventional generation voters who blindly denied portable Sarah the obvious win!

There were also the cut walkers; I never knew that men also have their own way of showing muscular power throw stylish walking. Some were instead wild walking; –may be walks of wild cats, but several of them were more on to the monkey style. The man that showed his strength of a man was to me Simon -the boy from Kangole. Women am told admire us who have strong muscles,- the imagination is strange and far and hidden, hidden in the trouser. Sarah the queen dancer was wrongly voted best female cut walker. People did not see the misused beauty fact in Rwina. Rwina almost created fire in my base; I could not afford to let her go free without giving her that simple, fire-cooling hug immediately after her show...but am engaged, engaged to a young, smooth, confident African girl...and she will never cry me!

I shouldn’t be mistaken for a bad fellow because of not participating in any of the priceless fan-generating competitions during the party. I love to keep a very low, stupid profile so that I may make my friends happier through winning easily as I cheer them up. In this way am not a competitive challenging bloke on world target. “It is prudent to be silent but it does not mean that someone is mad”. On the party; many crazy, sweet, sexy, grandiloquent things happened, but as usual, I kept my promise to get back early and wish my queen a good night before I pray and snore.

Tepeth Waters, A Glitch to Survival and Communication

Communities, wait for river at Loyaraboth to slow speed down

Chichi Naoya is a breed winner at their homestead in Alamai village of Loyaraboth parish, Tapac Sub County, Moroto district. Her two parents are already helpless in their old age. Her mother is blind and crippled; while Mzee who has three wives is permanently packed under tree shade at his third wives’ home and can offer nothing more or less than an empty tummy to his dependants.

Lonyilik trading centre 15 km away from this mountaintop settlement is the place to get foodstuff and other basic needs. Naoya takes chicken, grains and occasionally honey for sale to Lonyilik so she can buy some beans, salt... for the family. “My family has spent two nights without having anything cooked at home to eat because of this river,” the 14 year old Tepeth girl tells her friends who are also waiting at the river bank.

The women and girls cannot access market because the river is flooded following two days of nonstop rainfall on top of mount Moroto. Naoya is heading to the grinding mill with some 30 kgs of maize. “I also want some beans from the centre if I can reach and get the balance of my money for the honey I sold last week to Lokiru”.

One of the biggest challenges that this community hassle with is the poor state of transport and communication. Government through the Second Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF 2) is funding the creation of community access roads in this part of Karamoja but the work is done with very limited technical support. A mountainous place like Tapac Sub County would require full engagement of engineers and motorized technology but as the Sub County Community Development Officer, Moses Loru explains “everything is done basically by the community”.

“Most roads in this Sub County were opened up by the community themselves. They simply need tools like hoes, pangas, axe and maybe something to eat” Loru explained. Indeed under the current NUSAF 2 program, the Tepeth community preferred food for work instead of cash. Several roads have been created to access different locations in the Sub County. However, the challenge of planning and the absence of graders have rendered most of these roads almost useless.

“When there is heavy downpour, running water from the mountain follows this roads and block people from accessing other locations” Lomorumoe Lobeyo, a resident of Loyaraboth explains. Several families in three parishes of Loyaraboth, Nakwanga and Natumkale are cut off from access to services at the only trading centre based in Lonyilik. A group of mothers and young girls have camped at the river bank for days feeding on raw sorghum and maize as they pray and wait for the speed of water to come down.

Along one more route leading to Moroto town, an NGO worker survived the wrath of river Kalokutakori. This fast flowing seasonal stream sweeps big stones, fallen trees and other loads from the mountain top. Anthony, a field based worker with Concern Worldwide, an international NGO based in Moroto did not know this secret has he cruised heading to the Sub County head quarters on Friday morning.

“I thought since the water level looked low, I could manoeuvre through, but the big stones and other loads shifted the tyre of my bike and it put me down in the middle of the stream.” Anthony’s exhaust pipe sucked water and the engine went off. The boy was rescued by another driver of another Japanese crap - a Toyota Land-Cruser machine who gave him a hand to pull the two wheeled automobile out of the brook.

Apart from the vagaries of weather, getting transport means from Tapac Sub County to Moroto and vice-versa is also a game. The distant is about 50 kilometres, but the security threat is about unpredictable. However, travelling here on a vehicle is safe due to the strong UPDF patrols and the impact created by the disarmament thing. But business vehicles are not operating on this route because of the thousands of pot holes and rock holes available.

Modern or telecommunication services are also a gamble in this Sub County. The only network that is spotted is MTN and its obvious weaknesses. Thanks to Safaricom of Kenya because the Tepeth phone owners in Uganda use the Safaricom network flying all the way from Kibaki’s republic. The major challenge that should be said is that caused by the MTN business. Airtime of Ugsh500/= goes for Ugsh1000/= in Tapac. Wait, even in Moroto-a one star City; MTN dealers make subscribers part with an extra sh100/= on top of the authenticated price printed on the voucher cards...the country should work hard, very hard against this yellow business.

THE MARGIC AT THE TEPETH CULTURAL DAY



Gender & Culture minister receives knives used for FGM in Tapac

Thursday 25^th was celebrated as a Tepeth cultural day in Karamoja.  The first of its kind for this community. The main objective was to launch a community fight on the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) out of the region. The Function took place in Tapac Sub county, Moroto district. The theme for the gala was “Women, Girls enjoy a life free from FGM...It is a human right”.

Hundreds of people of all kinds attended the occasion. Some of the top dignitaries who witnessed the celebration included Lukia Isinga Nakadama, the state minster for Culture and Gender, - she was the chief guest. Three legislators; Hon. John Baptist Lokii (Matheniko County), Hon. Margaret Iriama (Matheniko woman MP) and Hon. Simon Peter Aleper (MPfor Municipality) were present. Other guests included Mark Aol the LC5 Chairperson for Moroto district, Nahaman Ojwe the RDC and other top people from the UN and the NGO world

Tepeth mutilators who turned up to hand over their weapons

The occasion saw the disarmament of the Tepeth FGM surgeons who handed over their surgical equipments to the minister. “Government will ensure that alternative livelihoods projects are brought to you” said Hon. Nakadama. The minister added that, “the young girls should not allow to get wasted by this bad practice, go to school and you will become future leaders like Hon. Margaret Iriama”.

More than 100 elderly women gave out their weapons to the minister. The weapons included; knives used for trimming women’s bodies, horns of strange wild animals –all used in the conventional process of FGM... Others gave out outfits for their ‘theatres’.

Commenting on the actions and the overall value of the day, Matheniko County MP John Baptist Lokii described the celebration as that of - the feature of society. “We are here today to celebrate an aspect of society; the aspect we are celebrating is about culture –some of which are good but some are very bad and affects not only the body, but the integrity and the humanity”, Lokii observed. The legislator alluded to the Bible in the book of Genesis Chapter 2:26-28 which says that God created man in his own image.

L-R; Moroto RDC, Minster Lukia , MP & LC5 receive knives

“When we begin deforming parts of our body, we are defying God’s creation.” The MP asked the Tepeth to take the day as that time when they apologised to God that what they have been doing was not good and they now stand against it. Lokii also acknowledged that FGM was indeed a borrowed cultural practice of the Pokot and not for Tepeth, urging the elders, women and youth to fight it out of their other existing beautiful tradition.

The day was surely a blessed one as the fertility of the heavens ensured short paragraphs of showers threatening to disorganise the festival yet it did not.  Different drama groups supported by different development partners including community groups ensured incredible visual food and something for the mind. But most important thing to mention is that the Tepeth people looked set to live their future lives without FGM. There were also drinks and bites in plenty and plenty.

Tapac Sub County is located to the extreme East of Matheniko County in Moroto district - Karamoja region. It borders the republic of Kenya to the East –touching Turkana land at Lodwar district and the soils of North Pokot district in Kenya. To the south of the Sub County is Amudat district. Nadunget and Katikekile Sub Counties also neighbour Tapac from the West and North western respectively. Like most people in the Karamoja region, the Tepeth practice animal grazing as their main livelihood activity with subsistence crop growing carried out on a very small scale.

The Sub County is composed of six parishes including Tapac which has six abnormally large villages (each village in this Sub County is the size of a parish in other parts of the country,). Other parishes are Katikekile with six villages, Loyaraboth having 3 villages and Kodonyo with six villages.  Others are Nakwanga of seven villages and Natumkale (not accessible by road) composed of four villages.

Although this cultural day was organised by Sub County authorities, the event involved all Tepeth people from all over the region. Other Tepeth communities came from Katikekile Sub County at the edge of Moroto Municipality. According to informed people, the Tepeth land in Karamoja is approximately 300sq KM.  Reader, attending this function to me was like an extraordinary curtain raiser for the weekend and for Eid for- you brother Mohammed!

DON’T MISS THE TEPETH CULTURAL CARNIVAL THIS WEEK

Later this week, Thursday 25^th, a groundbreaking event will take place in Tapac Sub County, Moroto district. It is the Tepeth culture day. According to the area LCIII chairperson, Peter Loboot, the occasion will showcase the wealth and beauty of the Tepeth cultural system. It will also be an opportune time for this border group of Karimojong people to put clear their intention and reason for crave for autonomy. They are yearning for an independent constituency – Tapac County.

Expected to attend this occasion are; Lukia Isinga Nakadama, the minster for Culture and Gender who shall -as arranged be accompanied by Janet Museveni, Minister for Karamoja affairs. Others will be district officials at their various capacities, but also other Sub County officials from Matheniko County and beyond are all invited. The celebration is also open for the general public, Tepeth, non-Tepeth, Karimojong, non-Karimojong, Ugandans, non-Ugandans, Africans, non-Africans.

The LCIII believes it will be a real big event and that the Tepeth will take clear advantage of it to lobby for development support. “We have vast land and other mineral resources, we have big development dreams, but we have no loud voice and no support”, Loboot said during an interview with this blog. He added that, “the function is geared towards displaying our strength as Tepeth people and requesting government and other partners from all corners of the world to step in and give support necessary for social, economic and political development”.

According to Loboot, the Tepeth have been hugely sidelined by way of representation and distribution of development projects at the greater Matheniko county and Moroto district as a whole. He said social services growth schemes are poorest in his Sub County compared to other parts of the Constituency. Sighting the absence of a secondary school despite government arrangement to establish and support post primary education at Sub County level, Loboot said the jamboree will give a chance for the people to present their cry to the guys in power.

However, according to Sisto Lokiru, the Gombolola Internal Security Officer (GISO) of the area, this event was planned by the Sub County in consultation with and support from Moroto District Local government as a whole. “The main objective of the occasion is to launch a community-driven campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) which is commonly practiced by the Tepeth people, yet is very unhealthy, Scary, degrading and unlawful” Lokiru observed.

The GISO explained that the culture day will enable the community demonstrate their commitment to kick FGM out of their land and embark on development activities that government and development associates can provide. Another prominent issue that might come up during the event is that of security. Although disarmament program is as said, a real success story in Karamoja region, Tapac which sits on a precipitous land still faces the problem of presence of illegal guns and the weapons have continued to cause havoc to the inhabitants and their neighbours. More to this is the presence of arms in neighbouring Turkana region of Kenya.

The communication of every issue at hand will be done mainly through Music, dance and drama, but powerful speeches from Tepeth elders and key leaders is also expected to send the message home. This foundation festival according to Lokiru will see all cultural activities; signs, outfits, songs, dance, dexterity, believes etc displayed to ensure marketing of the Tepeth breed and also to let the young generation have a feel of their culture.

Tapac Sub County is located to the extreme East of Matheniko County in Moroto district of Karamoja region. It borders the republic of Kenya to the East –touching Turkana land at Lodwar district and the soils of North Pokot district in Kenya. To the south of the Sub County is Amudat district. Nadunget and Katikekile Sub Counties also neighbour Tapac from the West and North western respectively. Like most people in the Karamoja region, the Tepeth practice animal grazing as their main livelihood activity with subsistence crop growing carried out on a very small scale.

The Sub County is composed of six parishes including Tapac which has six abnormally large villages (each village in this Sub County is the size of a parish in other parts of the country,). Other parishes are Katikekile with six villages, Loyaraboth having 3 villages and Kodonyo with six villages.  Others are Nakwanga of seven villages and Natumkale (not accessible by road) composed of four villages.

Although the cultural gala is organised by Sub County authorities, the event will involve all Tepeth people from all over the region. The Tepeth are also found in another separate Sub County called Katikekile at the edge of Moroto Municipality. According to the GISO the Tepeth ground in Karamoja is approximately 300sq KM.  Reader, you could get more by attending the cultural fare this Thursday at the Sub County headquarters in Tapac.