Lira, Uganda | The leadership of Tekwaro Lango has clarified persistent confusion over the existence of rival cultural institutions in the Lango Sub-region.
In a public notice issued this week, Counsel Patrick Okwir, spokesperson for Won Nyaci Me Lango, said claims suggesting a division between the Lango Cultural Institution (LCI) and the Lango Cultural Foundation (LCF) are legally unfounded and factually incorrect.
Okwir confirmed that the only legally recognised cultural institution for Lango is Won Nyaci Me Lango, led by Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune, who serves as the Lango Paramount Chief under the legal status of a Corporation Sole.
This status was affirmed in a corrigendum published under General Notice No. 966 of 2025 in The Uganda Gazette, Volume CXVIII, No. 29, of 8th April 2025.
He explained that the Lango Cultural Foundation ceased to exist following a Constitutional Court ruling in Constitutional Petition No. 14 of 2017 (Kryspus Ayena Odongo vs. Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune and Others).
A lead judgment delivered by Justice Irene Mulyagonja on December 2, 2022, declared LCF an illegal entity, stating that it cannot sue and cannot be sued, effectively stripping it of legal standing.
Okwir also distinguished the defunct foundation from Lango Cultural Foundation Limited, a company registered on August 4, 2023, with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau as a business limited by guarantee.
He emphasised that this entity operates purely for commercial purposes and has no authority over cultural leadership.
The spokesperson urged journalists, commentators, law enforcement agencies, and the public to rely on verified legal instruments and court rulings when reporting on Lango cultural matters to avoid promoting illegal or misleading claims.
“Won Nyaci Me Lango, headed by Eng. Dr. Michael Moses Odongo Okune, remains the only lawfully recognised institution of Lango cultural leadership,” Okwir said.
