The Paramount Chief (Won Nyaci) of Lango, Eng Dr Michael Moses Odongo Okune, has rallied the Lango diaspora to invest in health, education and agro-processing to help lift the Lango sub-region out of poverty and bring them into the money economy.
Dr Odongo Okune said poverty and limited access to social services remain major problems among the Lango community, even as the government has invested heavily in poverty alleviation programmes.
He made the remarks on Saturday, October 10, 2026, while addressing members of the Lango Association in the United Kingdom at the Jiam Glory Ministries Hall in Charlton, London, according to a statement released on Sunday.
The engagement was part of his maiden foreign trip since he ascended the throne as Lango Paramount Chief in March 2024.
“I appeal to my people in the diaspora to invest in and support development programmes in Lango and Uganda so that we can build a more dependable society,” Eng Dr Odongo Okune said.
He noted that over 2.6 million Lango people engaged in subsistence agriculture could become significantly more productive with proper support and, in turn, contribute to the growth of Uganda’s economy.
“The uptake of government programmes like the Parish Development Model remains low back home as a result of political, religious and cultural squabbles,” he observed.
Development initiatives
The Paramount Chief told the Lango diaspora community that the Lango Cultural Institution is moving to revive cultural norms, traditional dances, regalia, songs, food and sports; promoting Alternative Dispute Resolution, and using mediation frameworks recently rolled out by the Judiciary.
Others are providing educational scholarships for vulnerable children, repairing broken families, reclaiming institutional assets such as land and housing, constructing the palace, and planning a business arm, to be named the Amuka Corporation Group.
Eng Dr Odongo Okune also called for reconciliation across Lango communities, warning that internal divisions weaken clans and the wider cultural institution.
Mr Geoffrey Odur Akaki, the chairperson of the Lango Community in the UK, said they invited the Paramount Chief to preach unity and cultural preservation.
He commended the government for fulfilling key development promises, such as constructing the Akii-Bua Olympic Stadium, and urged Eng Dr Odongo Okune to follow up with the government on the pending industrial parks to spur local economic empowerment.
Dr Robert Olet Egwea, founding architect of the Lango Association UK and Minister for Technology and Innovation at Tekwaro Lango, emphasised the importance of a shared identity.
Ms Mary Otuku, a member of the Lango Community in the UK, raised concern about teenage pregnancy in Lango and the urgent need to protect underage girls from sexual exploitation.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Rosa Malango of Operation Wealth Creation highlighted initiatives such as cultural market days, heritage films, women-led businesses and trade opportunities to expand exportable products like shea and honey, which are produced in Lango, as opportunities for growth.