BUSIA, Kenya – About 80 kings and queens are expected to gather in Busia County next month as the Iteso community prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of the installation of its cultural leader, Emorimor Papa Paul Sande Emolot.
The three-day celebrations will run from October 29 to 31, with the main ceremony scheduled for October 31 at Amagoro Comprehensive School in Teso North.
President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, are expected to attend the final day of the celebrations, giving the event a regional dimension as traditional and political leaders from communities across East Africa converge in Busia.
The gathering will mark the first major anniversary celebration of Emorimor Emolot to be held in Kenya since his installation in 2022 as the cultural leader of the Iteso community in Kenya and Uganda.
Iteso Cultural Union minister for roads and public works Okwara Ekirapa said organisers had invited about 80 kings together with their queens, including the Zulu King of South Africa.
“Preparations to receive the presidents, kings, their queens, and a host of dignitaries are ongoing to ensure nothing goes wrong. We hope to succeed for the benefit and welfare of the Ateker communities in East Africa,” Ekirapa said.
Ekirapa spoke during the commissioning of newly appointed Teachers Service Commission officers at Hotel Levantes in Amagoro, Teso North.
Ruto confirmed his attendance after hosting a delegation of Teso leaders led by Emorimor Emolot at Eldoret State Lodge on August 29.
Organisers later moved the celebrations from October 22–24 to October 29–31 to accommodate the President’s diary.
Museveni is also expected to attend the October 31 ceremony. Event co-planning chairman Robert Papa said the Ugandan leader had confirmed that he would join Ruto for the celebrations.
The two presidents’ expected presence will place the anniversary at the intersection of cultural diplomacy and regional cooperation, with organisers bringing together leaders linked to the wider Ateker community.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have also received invitations. However, organisers had not confirmed their attendance. Ekirapa specifically said Abiy had not yet confirmed whether he would attend.
The royal gathering will form one of the central features of the celebrations.
According to Ekirapa, about 80 kings have been invited alongside their queens, with traditional leaders from different parts of Africa expected to attend.
The Zulu King of South Africa is among the prominent traditional leaders invited to the event. However, organisers have not released a definitive public list confirming the individual attendance of all the invited monarchs.
The celebrations will also bring together representatives of the broader Ateker communities.
The Ateker cluster comprises communities linked by common ancestry, customs, laws and lifestyles, with groups spread across Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
They include the Karamojong, Jie, Dodoth, Iteso, Kumam and Langi in Uganda; Turkana and Iteso in Kenya; Toposa and Jiye in South Sudan; and Nyangatom in Ethiopia.
Representatives from these communities are expected to travel to Busia for the celebrations alongside governors, senior government officials and other traditional leaders.
Beyond the ceremonial programme, organisers have planned discussions around cooperation among the Ateker regions. Governors from the participating areas are expected to use the gathering to discuss ways of strengthening regional cooperation.
According to Robert Papa, the organisers have proposed electing a chairman from among Kenyan governors, with the leadership position expected to rotate among participating Ateker regions.
“A chairman is expected to be elected from among the Kenyan governors, with the leadership position proposed to rotate among the participating Ateker regions,” Papa said.
The organisers also intend to use the event to promote cultural identity, unity and interaction among communities that straddle national borders.
The programme will include cultural and sporting activities, with an under-20 football competition among the events planned ahead of the main ceremony.
Emorimor Emolot’s anniversary is expected to attract thousands of members of the Iteso and other Ateker communities from Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
The gathering will also highlight the role of traditional institutions in maintaining cultural links between communities separated by modern national borders.
