Apac, Uganda: President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has issued a stern warning to Uganda’s cultural leaders, cautioning that failure to protect cultural heritage will lead to the loss of identity among the communities they represent.
Delivering the message through Vice President Maj (Rtd) Jessica Alupo at the burial of former Lango Paramount Chief Mzee Yosam Odur Ebii, President Museveni said cultural leaders must resist foreign influences, moral erosion, and modern pressures threatening indigenous values.
“If you do not guard your people’s heritage, you will lose it, and when you lose your culture, you lose your identity,” Museveni’s message read, drawing solemn reflection from thousands gathered at Teboke Primary School.
The President hailed the late Odur Ebii, who died aged 99, as a patriotic elder who guided Lango with integrity, foresight, and unity during the turbulent years of post-war recovery.
“He has been one of the most patriotic cultural leaders in Uganda’s history. He guided Lango with integrity and left it in a better place,” Museveni said, also extending UGX 10 million to support the bereaved family.
VP Alupo described the late chief as a leader who rejected ceremonial leadership, choosing instead to “work, guide and transform communities.” She praised his dedication to education, household economic upliftment, and inter-clan peacebuilding.
“He remained non-partisan and focused on service to his people,” Alupo said.
In one of the most emotional moments of the day, the late chief’s son, Mr. Anthony Olobo Odur, said his father lived and died as a man anchored in Christian faith. “My father lived with Christ, and he has died with Christ,” he said as mourners wept. He described him as humble, spiritual, and committed to shaping moral values in his family and community.
Hon. Jonathan Odur, MP for Erute South, revealed the late chief had been repeatedly admitted at Lira University Teaching Hospital for respiratory complications before passing on November 10, 2025.
The President reminded Ugandans that cultural institutions were deliberately restored in 1994 to safeguard identity. “These institutions are not decorations. They are guardians of identity. They must function,” he emphasized.
Mzee Odur’s reign is widely remembered for unifying the Lango Cultural Foundation, mediating longstanding clan disputes, promoting education, strengthening moral restoration, and championing peace during Northern Uganda’s difficult years.
His death has reignited debate over the future of cultural leadership amid modernization pressures, youth disengagement, and internal institutional divisions.
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