President Museveni Meets Lango Paramount Chief, Clan Leaders at State House

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni met and held discussions with the Lango Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci), Eng. Dr Michael Moses Odongo Okune, and clan leaders at State House, Entebbe, on Monday.

During the meeting, President Museveni warmly welcomed the delegation and urged them to promote local language, culture, education, health, and societal transformation through development and peace.
“I was supposed to be campaigning today, but I said I needed to go to Cabinet because there were some issues there, and also to meet the cultural leaders. I’m happy to receive you here,” President Museveni said.

He emphasized the importance of preserving indigenous languages, noting that while English is the official language and Swahili the regional language, local languages should not be neglected.
“In the Republic of Uganda, we use English as the official language and Swahili as a regional language. Nobody has banned the local languages, but who is promoting and taking care of them? This is where cultural leadership comes in,” he said. “In the past, schools taught in vernacular, but I don’t think that’s the case these days. Cultural institutions can fill that gap by promoting the local languages where government may not have time to do so.”

President Museveni also urged religious and cultural leaders to promote positive cultural values and discard harmful traditional practices.
“I have already audited the Banyankole culture because it was suppressing the girl child. The girl was dependent all her life—on her father, husband, and later her son. I said my daughters must have their share; they are my blood,” he emphasized.
The President further called on the people of Lango to generate wealth by engaging in productive and sustainable enterprises.

“We need modern wealth based on money. Depending on the size of your landholding, choose the right enterprise for the family. Coffee, for example, can yield about Shs18 million per acre a year with a bit of irrigation, while fruits can earn as much as Shs30 million per acre,” he explained.
He encouraged Lango leaders to mobilize families and clans to fence their land and adopt organized, controlled agriculture.

“That land of yours is not fenced; it’s just open. If we all speak the same language, they will change. Once families or clans settle and fence their land, we can talk about irrigation, use of fertilizers, and pasture development,” he said.
President Museveni also appealed to the leaders to promote education and health by working closely with the people and to encourage peace and unity in the region.
He thanked the people of Lango for the love and support they showed him during his campaigns in the region.

In his remarks, His Highness Odongo Okune commended President Museveni for the peace and security restored in the Lango sub-region.

“You rid Lango of state-inspired violence of the 1970s and early 1980s, cattle rustling, and numerous insurgencies like those of Kony and Lakwena that caused death and mass internal displacement of communities,” he said. “Lango is grateful to Your Excellency for the developments you have brought to the region.”

He also thanked the President for supporting wealth creation projects in Lango, which have enabled people to improve their livelihoods.