Ayogan Ateker,
On the 14th of April, 2020, Papa Ekirigi wrote a letter in which he raised several challenges facing our chiefdom and he provided a roadmap to overcome some of these challenges. In the same maiden communication, he made an appeal to the Iteso to support their chiefdom.
Before we go any further, we would like to formally congratulate him upon being appointed Ekirigi of our cultural institution. We welcome him and his team and we wish him success in his position.
We also want to formally thank the outgone Ekirigi, Papa Paul Sande Emolot and his team for the service rendered to our people. We appreciate all their efforts and we wish them well.
In May 2017, our head, Papa ‘Iteso, The Emorimor Augustine Osuban Lemukol appointed myself and Epolon Solomon Emong as representatives of the Chiefdom in the UK.
In September of the same year, we were initiated in London by the former Ekirigi, in a ceremony attended by several of our representatives in the Parliament of Uganda. Since then, we have been trying to serve the Ateker.
As representatives of our Chiefdom in the UK and Europe, we are committed to working with the administration of the new Prime Minister to serve our people.
ICU in the UK has supported various efforts to help our people and it continues to do so. In this regard, permit me to share with you 2 of our most recent efforts:
1. In response to the coronavirus / COVID 19 pandemic, we launched an appeal to help our people. This appeal raised nearly £3,000 or about 12 million Uganda shs which enabled us to buy hand sanitiser, surgical gloves, and clinical thermometers for Soroti hospital, Ngora hospital, Atutur hospital, and Serere hospital;
2. To improve the way we operate, and as we have already communicated to you, we have restructured our set up and introduced a Governance Council to govern the affairs of ICU in the UK. This Governance Council will be chaired by Ejkt (Mr) Leonard Opolot Oguli.
We have also created a management arm of our Union here to implement our programmes. This unit will be headed by Dr Patrick Igulot.
With these changes, we are hopeful that ICU in the UK will be in a better position to contribute to promoting the unity of our people, promote our culture, and promote the development of our people.
We look forward to working with our Prime Minister and his team closely to serve our people.
Emuria, Koliai.
Eong Ejakait (Chief) Michael Okwalinga and Ejakait (Chief) Solomon Emong
