KAMPALA, Uganda
Representatives of the Otikokin clan in Lango sub-region have said they are pursuing payment of compensation for the killing of their son, Col (rtd) Charles Patrick Okello Engola, the former State minister for Labour.
Clan leaders say plans are
underway to approach the clan to which army Private Wilson Sabiiti belonged in
Tooro Sub-region from whom they intend to ask for blood money.
But their efforts may run into
difficulties even before first contact is made. A senior member of Tooro’s
cultural institution yesterday pointed out that Sabiiti did not act on behalf
of Tooro when he took the Junior minister’s life on the morning of Tuesday, May
2.
Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister,
Mr Steven Kiyinji, told Daily Monitor that since Sabiti was on official duty at
the time of the tragic shooting, the responsibility for the killing cannot be
tribalised.
“Don’t tribalise this issue,
it’s a national issue. It was a national failure on the part of the soldier. If
there is any compensation to be paid, it’s UPDF to whom Sabiiti belonged to pay
and Lango people should talk to UPDF,” Mr Kiyinji said.
Pte Sabiiti was one of the
retired colonel’s bodyguards, who instead shot the minister dead at his home in
Kyanja, Kampala before also taking his own life.
Among the Lango peoples, a
traditional, restorative justice mechanism known as kayo cuk is one of the
reconciliatory processes practised in cases of a grievous nature, such as
killings.
Similar to mato oput which is
practised in the neighbouring Acholi Sub-region, kayo cuk is an ancient, time
honoured practice for accountability and reconciliation between communities in
conflict.
Its use has, however, been
diminished with the passing of time, and also partly because of poverty.
Mr Robert Ajal, the prime
minister of Lango Cultural Foundation, said yesterday that a committee will
nonetheless be set up and journey to Tooro in the coming days to meet the
leadership of Pte Sabiiti’s clan and family.
The purpose of visiting the
family, Mr Ajal said, would be “to discuss the way forward so as to maintain
good relationship between the two friendly tribes”.
“The good relations between
the Luo and Tooro community should be maintained because when King Kabalega was
cornered by British colonial forces, he took refuge in Lango,” he explained.
Kabalega was Omukama (king) of
Bunyoro, a kingdom which borders Tooro. The Banyoro share cultural, linguistic
and historical ties with the people of Tooro although, strictly speaking, the
two are different ethnic groupings.
According to Mr Ajal, blood
compensation is mandatory and any tribe or clan that commits such crime must
pay it.
“We are also agreeing that it
is mandatory that the Tooro clan pays blood compensation because issues of
blood are only handled that way,” he added.
Separately, Dr Christopher
Oleke, the deputy clan chief of the Otikokin, said they also want to hear a
clear commitment from the Uganda government regarding compensation.
“The gun that killed him is a
government gun and the person who killed him is a government employee. And we
want this commitment also to be stated clearly during the burial ceremony so
that every Lango goes back home knowing that this is the commitment from the
government,” he said.
Blood compensation or kayo cuk
as a reconciliation ritual is ideally performed between clans and tribes in
place of formal judicial mechanisms.
Sessions are held outdoors and
are open to anyone willing to testify about crimes committed. A committee of
locally elected officials oversees the process.
In this case, both Sabiiti’s
and the Engola family would be expected to each bring one sheep. The sheep
would be placed facing each other and then simultaneously slaughtered. Each
clan then shares the mutton from the animal brought by the other as a sign of
forgiveness.
After this ritual, Sabiiti’s
family would be expected to pay seven cows to make amends for the crime of
their son.
The traditional ritual,
which is performed by elders, also serves as a truth telling and confessional
forum.
But whether the people
of Tooro will welcome this form of justice is another matter altogether with
two opposing views already emerging.
On the one hand, Mr
Stephen Katenta Apuuli Kapimpina, a cultural leader, has welcomed the idea. Mr
Katenta Apuuli, a former Ugandan ambassador who is now Omugizi wa Rukirabasaija
Omukama (advisor to the king of Tooro), says he has written to Tooro’s prime
minister to help kick-start resource mobilisation towards the kayo cuk process.
“Before taking his own
life, he (Sabiti) accepted responsibility for assassinating the minister. So,
we don’t need a police investigation to prove who killed the Honourable
minister,” Mr Katenta said in a WhatsApp message last week.
He also reminded the
Tooro premier that his counterpart in the Lango Cultural Foundation had
addressed “you on the matter of blood money (blood compensation), a tradition
among the Luo to settle disputes and maintain good relationships between
friendly tribes.”
“I am appealing to you
to positively respond to paying blood money so that the cordial relationship
between Lango and Tooro can endure for a long time to come,” Mr Katenta Apuuli
said.
He recalled: “Our good
relationships between the Banyakitara and Luo people date back to the time when
the Bacwezi abandoned management of our kingdom and went into self-exile
(Kwegoromora). By mutual agreement, the Luo accepted to take over the role of
kings in our region starting with Labongo (Nyabongo) of the Jobito clan.
Empaako (praise/pet names used by the Batooro and Banyoro peoples) are Luo
names which we adopted in acceptance of the arrangements made between Bacwezi
and Luo regarding kings in our region. Many words in Runyakitara have Luo
origins.”
Mr Katenta Apuuli noted
that it is out of character for a Mutooro to carry out a terrible assassination
as “our son Sabiiti has done”.
“He is no longer here to
defend himself, so I am one of those who don’t rush to judge. However, we as
his parents, are under obligation to account for his misdeeds,” he explained.
“It is for this reason
that I am calling upon you as the Omuhikirwa of Tooro Kingdom to mobilise us in
an effort to pay the minimum seven cattle to the elders of the late Okello
Engola as blood money in accordance with their tribal/ cultural traditional
practice.”
But as noted earlier, Tooro
Prime Minister Kiyinji said: “Tooro Kingdom is not going to mobilise money
towards blood compensation because Sabiiti was not pursuing any cultural matter
nor pursuing any matter related to his tribe or clan.” Mr Kiyinji also pointed
out that the Sabiiti family is too poor to pay blood compensation.
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