By Enatu Steven
KABEREMAIDO
His Royal Highness Won Ateker Papa Raphael Otaya, the Paramount Chief of the Kumam has been nominated for the African Cultural Leaders Impact Award 2025, under the prestigious Global Africa Awards (GAA) organized by AIDO Network International.
The nomination recognizes his strong and spirited support to preserving African cultural heritage, championing traditional governance, and advocating for community development. According to AIDO, the recognition is a tribute to his “distinguished leadership, wisdom, and tireless efforts in strengthening cultural identity across generations.”
His Royal Highness recently hosted a high-level delegation from the Ateker International Development Organization (AIDO) at his ancestral home in Katine, Soroti District. The delegation, led by AIDO President His Highness Dr. Paul Jones Eganda 1, featured royal representatives from Kenya, Nigeria, Canada, Jamaica, Barbados, and the United Kingdom.
The visit, held between May 24 and 28, 2025, was a cultural and diplomatic milestone for the Kumam people. Traditional dancers, clan elders, and cultural leaders welcomed the guests with pomp and pageantry, showcasing the depth of Kumam heritage.
His Higness Won Ateker Papa Raphael Otaya made history in 2022 when he was elected as the first-ever cultural leader of the Kumam people—an ethnic group in Eastern Uganda. He was enthroned in May 2023, and his institution was officially gazetted by the Government of Uganda in August of the same year.
A retired educator and headteacher, his Higness Otaya previously served as a science tutor and administrator in the Soroti education system. He brings to cultural leadership a grounded and people-centered approach.
In December 2024, under his leadership, the Kumam Cultural Heritage (KUCH) signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding with World Vision Uganda, setting the stage for coordinated action in areas such as water and sanitation, child welfare, and disaster preparedness.
The Global Africa Awards 2025 will be held on September 6, 2025, at the Hilton London Croydon Hotel. The ceremony is expected to attract dignitaries and cultural leaders from across the continent and the diaspora.
His presence at the banquet will not only celebrate his personal legacy but also raise the profile of the Kumam Chiefdom as a cultural institution with a development agenda.
His nomination signals an opportunity for the Kumam people to build new international networks, attract developmental support, and amplify their cultural voice on the world stage.
