BY Zoomer Africa Editorial

The cultural leaders of the Paluo-chope people in greater kibanda(chope) are in preparations to meet the president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ahead of his campaign rally scheduled to take place kiryandongo district.

This comes after the chope people declared that they no longer recognize the authority of bunyoro-kitara kingdom leadership over their affairs but rather their own cultural institution called paluo (chope) tekwaro and the Central government of uganda at their cultural institution head offices in katulikire , kichwabugingo sub-county, kiryandongo district.

His Royal Highness (Dabanda) Odong David Ateenyi the cultural leader of Paluo-Chope (chope) people said Chope tribe of greater kibanda is an independent ethnic group and not a sub-tribe of the banyoro tribe and for that reason the constitution of the Republic of Uganda 1995(amended) under article 246 allows them to establish their own independent cultural institution.

Mr.kisembo Denis ochola Ateenyi the prime minister of the instated but yet to be gazetted cultural institution by the ministry of gender, labour and social development asserted that before colonialism ,greater kibanda(chope) allied with bunyoro-kitara kingdom for protection and trade but today kibanda(chope) only need protection from the central government of the Republic of Uganda.

Mr.kisembo also asserted that the independence of Buruli and Bunyara kingdoms from Buganda kingdom and kumam chiefdom from Teso is a typical example of constitutional right to freedom of association.

Chope people also sometimes called Paluo-Chope are a distinctive ethnic group with a rich cultural heritage, Natives to greater kibanda areas of kiryandongo, Masindi and some parts of Hoima districts.They speak a luo dialect infused with bantu influences and have over 70 clans scattered among the banyoro with cultural dances such as opere, unde, bwera etc.

Marriage ties binding them to the legendary bachwezi rulers who ruled kitara before their mysterious disappearance.

Legends accredit the paluo with introducing petnames locally known as "nying paak" or "paako" in luo meaning praise words but loosely pronounced by the bantu as empaako e.g adyeri, abwooli, Ateenyi,amooti, abooke, Atwooki etc which was adopted by the central and southern bantu like the banyoro, batoro, batagwenda and the banyabindi to show respect, love and unity.

The Paluo (chope) people intermarried with central and southern bantu and gave birth to the bagungu tribe in bulisa district.

During king kabaleega war of resistance against British colonial invading forces in bunyoro-kitara, the paluo were great commanders and warriors of the kabalega defense army but after the defeat,capture and conquest of bunyoro-kitara under king kabaleega much of their land was turned into Murchison falls national gamepark and game reserves forcing many of them to flee greater kibanda (chope) to other different parts of the country as they were hit with famine and diseases like sleeping sickness, syphilis, smallpox and elephantiasis that caused suffering and population decline.

Mike Rwothomio is news editor at zoomer Africa, your number one grassroot information hub.