Karamoja leaders angry over Museveni’s comments on Aleper’s death

30 July 2024, 1:55 pm

By Godfrey Eyoku

A section of local leaders in the Karamoja subregion are disappointed with the speech President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni delivered to honour the late Simon Peter Aleper.

On Friday, President Museveni paid his last respects to the former Member of Parliament for Moroto municipality, the late Simon Peter Aleper, at the NRM party secretariat office in Kampala. In his address to the mourners, President Museveni commended Aleper for spearheading developmental programmes in Karamoja.

However, the President was unhappy with Albert Lokoru, a Member of Parliament for Tepeth county in the Moroto district, where an Indian investor intends to establish a cement factory. Lokoru is blamed for sabotaging the project, stating that when the Indian investors wanted to set up a cement factory, local leaders wanted to sell them land, but the Indians were not willing to buy.

The President’s statements did not go down well with local leaders in Karamoja, who said that the statement would create disunity and division among the Karamojong communities. The leaders said that the Indian investor has been exploiting the local people since 2002 and that the leadership is trying everything possible to address the issues.

Paul Lokol, the LC5 chairperson of Nabilatuk district, said that a lot of land in the region has been robbed in the name of investors for development.

Stephanie Adupa, the Moroto district female councilor representing Tapac subcounty, said that the investors have exploited the community and destroyed the environment and the effort to address the issues is futile.

Emmanuel Lokii, the Moroto male district councilor representing Rupa subcounty, said that they shall not entertain investors who want to make profits while the hosting community is starving.

The leaders also demanded special investigations and the arrest of the driver who knocked the late Aleper dead. They faulted police for failing to identify the car that caused an accident amid security cameras along the highways