Alur Kingdom officials at a forum with officials from the President’s office.

By our Reporter

The Alur Kingdom chiefs are calling for the representation of cultural institution in parliament and lower local government.

Charles Ombidi the chief of Ker Kwaru Kwonga Panyimur said that all other special interest group have representation in parliament and lower local government yet the cultural institutions have not been given space to participate.

“the cultural institution is the largest constituency in this country that deserve at least five slots in parliament which they can decide to make it rotational among the degazzeted cultural intuitions in Uganda” he said.

Odong Madir chief of Puvungu noted that cultural leaders are big players in the politics of Uganda because they have many subjects who listen and follow whatever they tell them.

 “we have been ignored for long that is why even at district level we are not recognized yet if we had representation they would clearly put our issues since they understand our needs” he said.

Meanwhile Hon. Vincent Ochaya Orach the prime minster Alur kingdom said that the biggest problem the government made was to ignore the cultural institutions and not allowed them to have representation in parliament and that is why their issues are discussed by people who do not understand culture.

“I remember the president had proposed 60 million allowance for all the degazated cultural institutions in Uganda but when it was taken to parliament it was thrown out and yet if they had representation in parliament it would have happened” he lamented.

Mr. Robison Oduka senior ethics officer in the directorate of ethics and integrity said It is a good idea to have the representation but it is both a constitutional and political issue which needs to be carefully handled.

“We all know that it is a fact that government needs numbers to support their strategy, and if the cultural institutions are organized they can get slots in parliament and the lower local governments” he said.

He observed that The cultural institution is the one biggest constituency with developed structures already what is left is how to push the idea to materialize and this is possible through an organized forum.

“I advise you not to work in isolation because if you have one voice it will be easy to bargain for slots” he added.

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