Tororo to be split into 3 districts – Museveni

President Yoweri  Museveni has endorsed a plan to elevate Tororo municipality to city status and carve three new districts out of the current Tororo district in a bid to end decades of rivalry between the Japadhola (Badama) and Iteso (Bateso) communities.

Meeting leaders of both groups at State House Entebbe alongside vice president Jessica Alupo, Museveni said Tororo city would serve as a neutral administrative unit, while the new districts would ensure “equity and balance.”

“We 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,” Museveni said.

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. 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.

Museveni likened the arrangement to Mbale, which hosts both Mbale district and Mbale city, and criticised the protracted ethnic contest

“You people are wasting time on your people. What’s crucial is bringing services nearer to the people. That’s the reason we broke up larger districts like Bukedi, which once covered Pallisa and Busia, to create smaller, more accessible units,” Museveni said.

Quoting Genesis, he urged leaders to adopt Abraham’s wisdom.

You remember the herdsmen of Ibrahim in the Bible who quarrelled over land. Ibrahim said If you go East, I’ll go West; and if you go West, I’ll go East. That is the wisdom we need today,” said Museveni.

The President urged both sides to move beyond historical divisions and focus on the bigger picture.

“Even if you had said the whole of Tororo town goes to the Bateso, so what? What matters is service, not ownership,” he stated.

“When 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’m not interested in those distractions,” he added.

Alupo said both delegations, after the consultative meeting, agreed to elevate Tororo Municipality to city status, upgrade Kwapa town council to a municipality, create Mulanda district from Budama Central and Budama South, raise Nagongera town council to municipality status.

The minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs, Jacob Oboth Oboth, commended the vice president for her pivotal role in steering the dialogue toward a peaceful solution.

The meeting was also attended by Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor, the cultural leader of the Japadhola people, Emorimor Papa Paul Sande Emolot, the cultural leader of the Iteso people, Hellen Grace Asamo, minister of state for Disability Affairs, Dr Tanga Odoi, chairperson of the NRM Electoral Commission, and religious and cultural leaders.