By Weswa Ronnie
TESO
Preparations are in high gear ahead of the coronation anniversary of His Highness Papa Emorimor Paul Sande Etomeileng Emolot 111, the Iteso Paramount Chief.
The highly anticipated celebration is scheduled to take place at Achunet Stadium, Malaba, Amagoro Division in Busia County, starting from 29th to 31st October under the theme,” Celebrating our cultural diversity and heritage, building our palace.” Its organised by the Iteso community in Kenya.
By Tuesday morning, 27th October, 2026, several kings and traditional chiefs had already landed in the country and were warmly received by officials of the Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) with traditional songs at Entebbe International Airport.
Among the early arrivals included the paramount chief of the Khoi- Son tribe of South Africa, His royal highness of Basotho tribe, Nkozi Molefe Phallarg, His royal highness, Price of Zulu kingdom, Kwazi kwenkosi Kazwelithini,a young brother of the Zulu king, His royal majesty King Misuzulu Kazwelithini and His royal highness prince of Zulu Kingdom, Thulani Zulu.
Other royals include Prince Ngobese Wardile, the head of protocol and the ambassador of the African Kingdoms Diaspora Alliance (AKDA), among others.
His Royal Highness Prince Thulani Zulu from Zulu kingdom said they were happy to be in the country to attend the anniversary celebrations, saying this will cement their unity as Africans.
“It’s very important that we go back to our roots as Africans because there are people who came from other countries and divided us so that we don’t know each other, but here we are, we are regrouping,” he said.
He added, “Beyond our cultures, beyond our customs and beyond our nationalities, we are united by spirituality because spirituality is infinite, and it can make us come together,” he said.
Queen Cynthia Nzilikazi Khumalo from Mzilikazi royal house in South Africa said she was delighted to be in Uganda to experience the values and customs of the Iteso community.
“As the royals, we are here to support each other and also to embrace each other as Africans. Since we are Africans, we must collaborate and be one, because we are one from the beginning. Though we’re divided by colonialists, who colonized us and divided our continent border to border so that we hate each other,” she said.
According to organisers, Kenyan president William Ruto and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni have confirmed attendance and other prominent kings across the world including King Mswati, the 11 of the kingdom of Eswatini, King of Zulu and the King of Ndebele kingdom in Zimbabwe.
The celebrations will also feature exhibitions, a symposium,a football tournament, cultural displays and entertainment through traditional songs aimed at promoting Iteso culture.
The Iteso Cultural Union (ICU) and Teso Kingdom Ambassador to the Southern African Development Community (SADC), David Emoot, said they are expecting more than 80 kings, 80 queens and over 50,00 visitors to attend.
“We are expecting to host more than 100 delegations from the Iteso diaspora in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world,” he said.
Mr Emoot, who is also the secretary general of the 4th coronation anniversary celebrations, added that it’s time for the government of Kenya to recognize the position of the Iteso community based in Kenya.
The Iteso community in Kenya has an estimated population of about 1m people and approximately 8 million in Uganda.
Dr. Chris Obukui, the chairperson of the planning committee, said the celebration will strengthen relations between Kenya and Uganda and promote unity among the Iteso communities living on either side of the border.
“This event, in a special way, is going to enhance relations between the two neighbouring nations that is Kenya and Uganda, because Teso Kenya and Teso Uganda occupy territory that is at the border. So, this event is going to cultivate a sense of belonging, a sense of togetherness and the importance of working together as related communities,” he said.
Since his enthronement in 2022, Papa Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot has worked to restore cultural pride among the Iteso both in Kenya and Uganda, while positioning culture as a catalyst for development, particularly focusing on issues that resonate with the younger generation, education, entrepreneurship, cultural identity, and environmental stewardship.
