Prominent businessman Sande Emolot has been elected interim Iteso Cultural Union leader.
Emolot will serve as king for six months until the new monarch will be elected on July 30 assumes office.
His election came 11 days after the late king of the Iteso Augustine Lemukol Papa Osuban was laid to rest, following his death on February 5.
Lemukol died at Mulago National Hospital in Kampala. He had earlier been admitted to Soroti Regional Hospital with Covid-19 related complications before being referred to Mulago.
Emolot said he was up to the task of uniting the Iteso who are spread across Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
He said unity will steer the community’s development agenda to a higher level.
Before his election, Emolot was the Iteso Cultural Union chairman. The union’s constitution says upon the death of the king, the chairman will assume office and exercise all the powers bestowed upon the office of the king.
He will, however, not assume office until he gets approval from the 125 councilors who form the Iteso Cultural Union Council.
The council is the body that is constitutionally mandated to approve the assumption of office by the chairman as King when a paramount chief dies.
Leaders in Busia led by Governor Sospeter Ojaamong on Wednesday welcomed Emolot’s assumption of office.
The governor said Emolot, by virtue of the time he has spent advocating for the advancement of Iteso agenda qualifies to serve as Iteso Cultural Union leader.
“I take this opportunity to congratulate, Emolot on his appointment as the Interim Emorimor Papa Iteso.
"Emolot’s accession to the cultural throne of the Iteso is good for the union, coming about two weeks since the burial of Lemukol,” the county chief said.
Ojaamong said as the ICU council chairman, Emolot is the right person to act as Emorimor. He thanked ICU delegates for the bold move they exhibited in Emolot.
"Emolot has what it takes to unite the Iteso community in Uganda, Kenya and the diaspora. I urge the Iteso community to support his bid to unite the over seven million members,” he said.
Former Teso South MP Mary Emase said she would support the interim ICU leader.
“I extend my warmest congratulations to Emolot, on his appointment as the interim Emorimor. My resolve and prayer is that we support Emolot as he leads Ateker,” she said.
Nambale MP John Bunyasi also congratulated the new leader saying Emolot deserved to lead members of the Iteso community.
He said his warm reception during the burial of the Lemukol and thereafter remains dear to him.
“Whilst I am not a member of the Ateker group, the blood ties as well as the neigbourhood spirit right from Nambale to the rest of Busia tie us invariably,” Bunyasi said.
He said his prayer is that Emolot makes it. He said his take over the reign means we will be bringing this significant cultural figure home.
“I wish the Ateker community all the best as they engage in this symbolic exercise as folk keen to culture," Bunyasi said.
He said he looks forward to working with all cultural groups that have a voice in the Busia community, to make sure that they impact positively on whom they influence and Busia in general.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
