Eighty kings and queens will descend on Busia next month as the Iteso mark the fourth anniversary of cultural leader His Royal Highness Papa Paul Sande Emolot.
President William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, are expected to attend the event scheduled for October 31 at Amagoro Comprehensive School.
It will be the first major anniversary celebration of Emorimor Emolot to be held in Kenya since his installation in 2022 as King of the Iteso community across Kenya and Uganda.
The event is set to bring together traditional leaders from across Africa, giving the celebrations an international cultural dimension.
Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) minister for roads and public works Okwara Ekirapa said about 80 kings, alongside their queens, had been invited, including the Zulu King of South Africa.
He said Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had not yet confirmed his attendance.
Ekirapa spoke during the commissioning of newly appointed Teachers Service Commission officers at Hotel Levantes in Amagoro, Teso North subcounty.
He said preparations for the high-profile event were progressing well, with a planning committee chaired by Chris Barasa holding regular meetings.
“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.
The celebrations are expected to bring together Ateker communities to showcase their shared cultural heritage while creating a platform for discussions on regional cooperation.
The attendance of the two presidents would elevate the anniversary into a major regional cultural gathering, uniting political, cultural and traditional leaders from the Ateker communities of East Africa.
The Ateker comprise a group of clans and communities bound by shared customs, laws, lifestyles and common ancestry, with their origins traced to the Upper Nile.
They include the Karamojong, Jie, Dodoth, Iteso, Kumam and Langi in Uganda; the Turkana and Iteso in Kenya; the Toposa and Jiye in South Sudan; and the Nyangatom in Ethiopia.
President Ruto confirmed his attendance when he hosted a delegation of Teso leaders led by Emorimor Emolot at Eldoret State Lodge on August 29.
The celebrations were initially scheduled for October 22 to 24 but were rescheduled to October 29 to 31 to accommodate President Ruto’s diary.
According to organisers, various activities will take place on October 29 and 30 before the celebrations culminate on October 31 in the presence of Ruto and other dignitaries.
Representatives from Ateker communities in Turkana, South Sudan, and other regions are expected to attend, alongside governors, senior government officials and traditional leaders.
