The October 29–31 festival in Busia will bring together Iteso and other Ateker communities from East Africa for cultural celebrations, a business symposium and a campaign to plant one million trees.
The Iteso community in Kenya is preparing to host a cross-border cultural festival bringing together Ateker communities from across East Africa to celebrate their shared heritage, strengthen unity and promote community development.
The three-day festival, scheduled for October 29–31 at Busia Stadium in Amagoro, Busia County, will mark the fourth coronation anniversary of Emorimor, the cultural leader of the Iteso.
“We are celebrating the anniversary of His Highness together with our cultural heritage, and we have decided to expand it to run for three days,” said Adungo Fredrick, the Iteso Deputy Prime Minister in charge of Kenya.
The celebrations will bring together cultural leaders, community representatives, businesspeople and other stakeholders from Kenya, Uganda and the wider region, with organisers seeking to strengthen cultural ties that transcend national borders.
Ahead of the festival, the Iteso communities in Kenya and Uganda have launched a campaign to plant one million trees, adding an environmental conservation component to the anniversary celebrations.
“We want to plant one million trees, and that process has begun today, to address imbalances in the climate and environment. Between now and October 29, we have targeted to plant 100,000 trees at churches and public institutions,” said Dr Chris Baraza Obukuyi, chairperson of the organising committee.
Speaking during the tree-planting launch at Katakwa Diocese, Baraza said the festival was intended to bring together Iteso communities from different parts of East Africa to celebrate their heritage and reinforce a shared sense of belonging.
The programme will feature cultural performances, a football match involving teams from Kenya and Uganda, and a two-day business symposium.
Organisers say the festival will also provide an opportunity for members of the Ateker communities to reconnect with their cultural heritage while discussing shared social and economic priorities.
Baraza said participants were expected from Soroti, Bukedea and Kumi districts in Uganda, as well as Trans Nzoia, Kakamega and Bungoma counties in Kenya.
Representatives from Uganda who attended the tree-planting launch pledged to mobilise members of the Ateker community to attend the festival in large numbers.
One Ugandan representative said the environmental initiative resonated with Iteso cultural traditions, in which trees provide gathering spaces for community events.
“We want to be part of this new initiative to promote tree planting because of its benefits. For instance, as Iteso, we hold our events under trees, like now, so we want to maintain this as our cultural norm,” the representative said.
The organisers said they had invited Kenyan President William Ruto and Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni to attend the celebrations. More than 20 ministers, alongside representatives of county governments and neighbouring administrations, have also been invited.
Beyond the anniversary celebrations, organisers say the tree-planting campaign is intended to encourage communities to participate in environmental conservation activities that continue after the festival.
A community clean-up exercise has also been planned ahead of the celebrations as part of preparations in the host area.
Organisers hope the environmental campaign, together with the cultural performances and business symposium, will give the anniversary a broader community-development focus while strengthening ties among the Iteso and other Ateker communities across East Africa.