Ethur Cultural Leader Installed Amidst Protests from Section of Elders

Mathias Okello Ngolryeko Aryon IV has been installed as the cultural leader of the Ethur community in Labwor, Abim District, despite earlier protests from a section of elders. The Ethur, an ethnic minority group within the Karamoja subregion, primarily reside in Abim District. 

Like other clans in Karamoja, the Ethur community has historically been under the Karamoja Elders’ Association for matters of tradition and cultural leadership due to the absence of a recognized cultural head. However, information from Ethur elders in Abim on Saturday, March 15, 2025, reveals that the Ethur community had a historic kingdom known as Thur Kingdom, dating back to the 1850s. 

The first known leader was Ebalkol, who was succeeded by his son, Aryon Lobaramoe I, followed by Agole, who died in 1937. According to documents presented at the installation ceremony, the leadership succession remained intact until 1937, when the third-last leader died. The throne then remained vacant for 78 years until February 15, 2015, when Paul Ochero Aryon III ascended it. 

However, it is reported that Ochero’s influence over his subjects was minimal, which delayed his coronation until his death in November 2022. Following his passing, his widow, Anneta Ajwang, named Mathias Okello Ngolryeko Aryon IV as his successor on March 6, 2025, leading to his installation at Nyenglemi West Cell in Abim Town Council.

David Adinga, the Administrative Secretary of the Ethur Community, attributed the 88-year leadership vacuum to cultural and social decline. “This culture is thus threatened with axiological extinction,” reads a document detailing the background of the Ethur community and its leadership. 

The document further states that due to the prolonged leadership gap, the Ethur institution has faced resistance and opposition, as many in the community have become unaware of their cultural values. Adinga acknowledged that similar resistance was evident when the new leader was named earlier this month. However, he noted that no interference was experienced from those elders or their representatives who had previously distanced themselves from the event. 

“We are at the last stages of installing our king. All the rituals for the pronouncement of the king have been completed except his first speech to the subjects,” Adinga said moments before the new leader was publicly presented following the traditional installation rituals.

On Thursday, March 13, 2025, the Council of Elders under Otheme of Thur issued a statement opposing Okello Ngolryeko Aryon’s installation as the fourth cultural leader. The statement, signed by Jackson Ayen, the Chairman of the Elders’ Council, and Francis Lowoth Okori, the Interim Prime Minister of Otheme Thur, argued that the proper procedures for naming and installing a cultural leader were not followed.

“To get legitimacy and legal recognition, the government procedure that includes approval by the Sub-county and the District should be followed in conformity with Section 4 of the Institutions and Cultural Leaders Act, 2011,” the statement read in part.

The installation of the Ethur cultural leader comes at a time when the Karamoja Elders’ Association is making efforts to transition into a formal cultural institution. The Elders’ Council has long been the region’s supreme body on cultural matters, but past attempts to establish an official cultural institution have faced obstacles

.In 2023, a group of elders, including two representatives from each Karamoja district, gathered in Moroto Town and appointed 83-year-old Peter Adei from Abim District as the interim cultural leader, Papa Angasuban. However, the initiative faced resistance from some elders who called for further consultations before formalizing the cultural institution. 

The debate over cultural leadership in Karamoja and the Ethur community continues, reflecting broader discussions on traditional governance structures in Uganda’s ethnic minority communities.