LIRA, UGANDA | The High Court in Lira has annulled the election of Eng. Dr. Moses Michael Odongo Okune as the Won-Nyaci me Lango (paramount chief) just one day before his scheduled coronation.
The legal challenge was brought forth in March by clan heads Denis Acila and Benjamin Okii, who filed a civil suit against Odongo Okune, along with several others involved in the electoral process. They contended that the election was fraught with irregularities, rendering it null and void.
On Thursday, Justice Philip Odoki ruled that the election failed to comply with legal requirements, and found the appointments of Tom Otim and Vincent Olinga to the electoral commission violated the Constitution of the Lango Cultural Foundation of 2017. The court determined that the gazetting of Odongo Okune as the new Paramount Chief could not stand due to these legal deficiencies.
The court issued a permanent injunction preventing Odongo Okune from executing any functions associated with the Paramount Chief and mandated the Minister of Gender to degazette him, restoring Yosum Odur Ebii as the rightful Paramount Chief of Lango.
Additionally, Otim, Okello, and Olinga were barred from acting as members of the electoral commission or from performing any installation rituals for Odongo Okune. The court also restrained several individuals, including Acila and Okii, from conducting rituals to install Dickson Ogwang Okul as the newly elected Paramount Chief, forbidding him from fulfilling any functions associated with that role under the Lango Cultural Foundation.
The court, however, did not award general damages. Justice Odoki noted that although the suit was initiated by specific individuals, the ruling has implications for the entire Lango community, and therefore, costs were rejected, with each party responsible for its own expenses.
Preparations for Odongo Okune’s coronation had been underway, including a dedication ceremony at his ancestral church in Ibuje Town Council, Apac district, and a traditional ceremony where he stepped down from his previous role as the Awitong (clan chief) of Okar Omwono clan.
