What you need to know:
- “We have Jopadhola in Osodo in Kenya, in Bunyala, in Navakholo, and in Nairobi. They speak Dhopadhola, but they have no link to Tororo. This census will connect them,” he said.
The Paramount Chief of the Jopadhola Cultural Institution, Kwar Moses Stephen Owor, has directed all clan chiefs to conduct a full census of Jopadhola people in Uganda and abroad, with numbers varying.
Kwar Owor says the Jopadhola do not know their exact number, which is affecting planning and service delivery.
“We are Jopadhola by blood, but we don’t know our number. Government says we are 700,000. Others say we are one million. We must know our own people. I therefore direct all 56 clans to count their people,” he said.
The Kwar Adhola issued the directive during the swearing-in of members of the electoral commission for the Bendo clan in Boke "B" cell, Amagoro ward in Osukuru Town Council in Tororo District, at the weekend.
Kwar Owor, who is also the chairperson of the Bendo Clan, said the census will be conducted by clan chiefs, parish chiefs, and village elders, not by the government.
“This is not a government census. This is a cultural census. We want to know how many Jopadhola are in Tororo, in Kenya, in Kampala, in Busia, in Bugiri, and even abroad. We want to know how many children, how many youth, how many elders,” he explained.
According to Kwar Owor, the cultural institution is planning to set up a Jopadhola Development Fund, a cultural SACCO, and a scholarship scheme for bright but poor Jopadhola children. But without knowing the number, planning is difficult.
“Many Jopadhola are crying out about land grabbing, poverty, and loss of language. How can we fight for them when we don’t know how many they are? If we are one million, we must speak with one million voices,” he said.
He also said many Jopadhola in Kenya and Busia have been forgotten, and they want to bring them back into the cultural fold.
“We have Jopadhola in Osodo in Kenya, in Bunyala, in Navakholo, and in Nairobi. They speak Dhopadhola, but they have no link to Tororo. This census will connect them,” he said.
Under the directive, directors for statistics in every clan have been identified, and census questionnaire forms have been developed, which are going to be given to every clan chief.
According to the directive, each household head will be asked to give the clan and family name, number of people in the household, number of children, those in and out of school, language spoken at home (Dhopadhola / other) and location, respectively.
The parish-level cultural chiefs will then compile and submit to the office of the Prime Minister of Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution for final compilation.
Kwar Owor said that after the census, the cultural institution will call a big Padhola Day subsequently, where the results will be announced, as he warned against inflating numbers, saying the census is not for politics.
He called upon all Jopadhola to cooperate and give correct information.
“Do not add Banyole, Bagwere, or Iteso to our number. Count only Jopadhola by blood. This census is for truth, not for politics,” he warned.
The director of statistics for Bendo Clan, Mr Silver Odoi Ndejjo, welcomed the directive, saying it was long overdue.
“For many years, we have never counted ourselves. Now our Kwar has shown leadership. Bendo Clan is ready to count,” he said.
The Tororo District LC5 Chairperson, John Okea, said the census will help to preserve the Dhopadhola language, which is disappearing among youth in Tororo Municipality.
“Our children in town no longer speak Dhopadhola. They speak Luganda, English and Swahili. This census will tell us how many still speak our language,” he said.