Betrayal in the Palace as MK Movement hijacks Palaro Chief’s inauguration ceremony

Adjumani, (UG):- The Palaro Chiefdom in Adjumani District has been treated to a hitherto hushed betrayal by the coteries (call them mafias) manning the Chiefdom’s administration as the Clan Chief Opi Beka Zachary was flounced in oblivion during the launch of MK Movement structure in Madi sub-region that despondently and cynically overshadowed the inaugural event.

The official invitation cards and identification tags were tailored to primarily and predominantly feature the MK Movement Launch and indistinctly touched on the Inauguration of Opi Beka and this is how it was cautiously and dubiously crafted. “The official Launch of MK Chapter in Madi sub-region in Partnership with Inauguration HRN Opi Beka Zachary”.

Opi Beka Zachary is among the 11 clan chiefs in Adjumani that were approved by the district council on October 30, 2023, following a long-drawn impasse of tracing the roots of clan chiefs after cultural institutions were banned by former President Milton Obote I government as repercussions to the 1966 Buganda crisis that led to the pigeon-hole constitution.

In a press interview held at his palace on January 11, 2024, Opi Beka informed journalists that the chiefdom had written to the First Son Gen. Muhozi Kainerugaba through Adjumani district Chairman Mr. Anyama Ben on November 28, 2023, and provided evidence indicating that the letter has been acknowledged and conferred privileged treatment.

Opi Beka said the Chiefdom decided to invite Gen. Muhoozi as a gesture of appreciation to President Yoweri Museveni for his careful and wise decision on the restoration of cultural institutions in Uganda.

“In this great scientific advancement if cultural institutions are not left to play their roles of modelling the young people society would surely experience a meltdown in societal morals leading to a lost nation”. Opi Beka added.

However, sources inside the palace divulged that Mr Manga Charles a UPDF soldier at the rank of a corporal attached to the elite Special Force Command (SFC) who later on turned out to be the self-styled MK Patriotic Movement Madi sub-region and Mr Iwa Justine MK coordinator in Adjumani both loyalists in Palaro chiefdom advised that the inauguration be integrated with the launch of MK Movement structure in Madi sub-region.

On the advice of the two soi-disant MK activists, it was hoped that attracting the first son by Palaro Chiefdom would trigger respect and allow Opi Beka to command respect among the chiefdoms in the Madi subregion and galvanize support in the forthcoming election of Lopirigo of Madi (the paramount chief).

At the onset the planning appeared well shaped and inclined to support Opi Beka’s inaugural event on the WhatsApp platforms were set to collect resources, the response was resounding but the support dwindled as saboteurs and infiltrators planted thorns in the system.

The core committee for the inauguration ceremony was quickly swallowed up by the MK Launch agenda as the attention for funding was shifted to the MK Movement secretariate and Corporal Manga became the kingpin and the conveyor belt to the MK Movement echelons as mutual mistrust and suspicion of cut-throat deal were beginning to manifest.

According to sources in the palace, the decision to have the inaugural ceremony was motivated by the approval of Opi Beka Zakary among the 11 chiefdoms in Adjumani and felt it was time to quench the long battle of internal wrangle in Palaro Chiefdom where one Kinsman Oneka Vanchope alias Olingi has put a formidable force to curtail the dream of Opi Beka and his subjects.

It was probably agreed that Mr Manga, a UPDF officer attached to SFC would be able to make tight connections owing to his closeness to Gen.MK, but in a dramatic twist of events, he started using his influence to build a rear alliance with mafias in Palaro chiefdom to instead promote MK launch.

The original budget of shs 400 m for both the inauguration and MK Launch was eventually trimmed to shs 50m and the cash was wired into the Stanbic Bank account of Adjumani RDC Taban Data Peter at the eleventh hour to the disappointment of the Mafias who thought the funds would be availed to them for appropriation.

Treachery however unfolded when heinous and abominable attempts were made to harshly stop Opi Beka from stepping on the neatly laid red carpet on his own inaugural event, perhaps the swift intervention of the author who was co-emceeing at the event helped stop any noticeable altercation that would austerely escalate into vehemence and embarrass Opi Beka and his subjects to the pleasure and triumph of the Mafias.

As the procession that was manned by a brass band, velvet-dressed children and valets from the chiefdom, cabinet members and council of elders melodically and cheerfully advanced to the red carpet straddling about 50 meters.

Allana Charles a member of the entertainment committee paced fervently and shouted orders to the usher to redirect the procession since the red-carpet walk was reserved for the chief guest and warned he was acting on orders from Adjumani RDC Mr. Taban Data Peter.

Before the arrival of the entourage of Opi Beka to the event venue one of his blue-eyed boys delivered unusual information to the emcees that Opi Beka had been removed from the list of speakers on the program by the chief guest who was then still in Gulu and no reason was detailed.

When the chief guest arrived, the deputy coordinator of MK Movement West Nile region Mr. Julius Nyerere sprinted to the emcees with a copy of the handwritten program with a stern warning of “strictly follow this new program”.

Paradoxically what followed in the program was strictly an official launch of MK structure in the Madi sub region as speaker after speaker never addressed Opi Beka signifying his presence was not admissible and not in tandem with the occasion which he personally initiated and bankrolled alongside his subjects and supporters as his subjects and supporters contributed shs 10m towards the ceremony.

The National Office of MK Movement received misleading information from other sects of the MK Movement portraying that Palaro Chiefdom was in total leadership wrangle and supporting the inauguration event of Opi Beka would deal a severe blow to their support base in the Madi sub-region.

This is partly why the Northern region MK coordinator Hon.Lilian Aber woman MP Kitgum decided to visit Gen. Moses Ali for clarification and advice on the matter before travelling to Adjumani.

On real intelligence gathering and analysis, the MK Movement secretariate in Kampala and the officer of Northern Uganda coordinator Hon Lilian Aber, Woman MP Kitgum did not operate keenly as currently, MK movement has nine self-mobilized factions in Adjumani with grassroots structures who were mutely seeking for recognition and credit during the launch.

So, the preparation plan for MK Movement Launch on January 31, 2024, was shoddy, poorly drawn and contained a lot of absurdities, the organizers lacked strategic skills of mobilization and managing a high-profile event, they were obviously a jumbled collection of ill-intentioned and ill-willed political populists whose agenda is not well defined.

The MK Movement launch was evidently a sham, the turn-up was miserable, it would have fetched completely low attendance if it was not blended with the Palaro Chiefdom Inaugural ceremony.

In Pakele Army primary school grounds, Pakele town council there were not more than 1.000 people against the claims made by Mr. Manga that his team mobilized over 50.000 people and divulged MK Patriotic Movement Madi sub-region has a registered membership of over 30.000.

Northern Region MK Movement Coordinator Hon Lilian Aber viewed the situation with concern and made behind the scene decision to rubbish the officials of the event because of poor coordination dishonesty and the non-grassroots approach but above all failing to link with leaders in the Sub-region including MPs who are perceived to be very instrumental in the MK movement.

The only MP present at the function was Gen. Moses Ali, who was already in Adjumani for private work and only one out of the 11 cultural chiefs in Adjumani who were regularly approved by the district council attended the highly billed event.

Consequently, Hon Lilian Aber instructed Adjumani District chairman Mr. Anyama Ben to take charge of the mobilization of the Movement in Madi sub-region and Aringa and handed over the documents of the structure to him for restructuring, the deal of the mafia has gone sore but the damage on Palaro chiefdom is enormous.

Mr. Anyama Ben tactically refused to discuss any matter on the botched MK Movement launch but conceded discussing pertinent issues with Hon Lilian Aber including regrouping MK Movement structure in Madi sub region whose outcome he said is still premature for public consumption.

Now the hopes of Op Beka becoming a paramount chief of Madi is either dented or in tatters as Hon Lilian Aber in her concluding remarks hit the last nail in the coffin when she announced that out of the shs 50m the MK secretariate sent for supporting the occasion shs 10m is for all the clan chiefs in Madi sub-region when Opi Beka did not even receive a fraction of the cash astoundingly the chiefs belief Opi Beka has pocketed the cash.

Hon Lilian Aber crowned the event by launching the emblem of the Palaro chief and the royal book but sources close to Opi Beka whispered to Daily Express that it took an extended plea by Palaro elders who begged the guest of honour in Acholi dialect to perform the function since Opi Beka is recognized under the law as he has already been approved by Adjumani district council.