By Our Reporter

The Emorimor of the Iteso, His Royal Highness Papa Paul Sande Emolot Etomeileng III, has pledged to work with the Kazi Ni Kazi Foundation to develop a comprehensive development agenda for the Teso sub-region for submission to the leadership of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU).

The commitment was made during a meeting between the cultural leader and representatives of Kazi Ni Kazi at his office, where he endorsed the initiative and called for broader consultations involving clan leaders and religious institutions.

The proposed Teso Agenda is intended to consolidate the development priorities and aspirations of the region's communities into a common framework that can be presented to national leaders.

Emorimor said he had been following the foundation's activities and believed its initiatives were aligned with the development interests of the Iteso community.

He pledged to mobilise clan leaders to participate in identifying and documenting the region's priorities, emphasising the importance of grassroots involvement in shaping an agenda that reflects the concerns of the people.

The cultural leader also urged Kazi Ni Kazi to involve religious leaders in the consultation process, saying their participation would help capture a wider range of community views.

He indicated that he would receive the draft agenda once it had been prepared and provide additional input before its presentation to PLU leadership.

Daniel Mulalu, the Executive Director of Kazi Ni Kazi Foundation, welcomed the engagement, describing Emorimor's involvement as a significant step in efforts to develop a unified framework for Teso's development priorities.

Mulalu said working with the cultural institution would strengthen the foundation's efforts to bring together different stakeholders and ensure the region's concerns are clearly articulated.

He added that consultations involving clan leaders, religious institutions and other community representatives would provide an opportunity to gather views from different sections of society before the document is finalised.

The initiative comes amid ongoing discussions among Teso leaders about how to address persistent development challenges, including poverty, limited employment opportunities, gaps in education and inadequate industrial activity.

Kazi Ni Kazi has been mobilising support for a coordinated regional development agenda, with leaders associated with the initiative holding meetings in Soroti to discuss Teso's priorities and strategies for engaging national leadership.

The group's activities have also been linked to efforts to mobilise support for General Muhoozi Kainerugaba's anticipated 2031 presidential bid through structures associated with PLU.

A report published on September 20 indicated that the foundation intended to use grassroots networks to mobilise support for PLU while presenting the concerns of people in Teso. The report also indicated that a five-member committee had been established to conduct research ahead of the proposed agenda's completion.

The proposed involvement of Emorimor could widen the consultation process by incorporating traditional clan structures that remain important to Iteso identity and community organisation.

Beyond political engagement, the proposed agenda is expected to address broader regional concerns, potentially including agricultural transformation, industrial development, healthcare, education, employment and service delivery. Its final priorities, however, are yet to be confirmed.

The process will also need to establish clear and practical proposals that reflect community needs and provide a basis for engagement with political leaders and development partners.

Emorimor's call for the involvement of clan heads and religious leaders signals an effort to extend consultations beyond political and organisational representatives, although the scope and timetable of their participation remain unclear.

For Kazi Ni Kazi, the immediate task will be to translate community views into a coherent development framework that can be reviewed by stakeholders before being submitted to PLU leadership.

The effectiveness of the initiative will ultimately depend on how inclusively consultations are conducted, whether the final document reflects the concerns of communities across Teso, and whether the proposed priorities attract concrete commitments and follow-up action.