Gulu authorities apologise over delayed Acholi war heroes' monument
On May 18, 2023, the Gulu City Council launched a project to construct monuments worth over shillings 40 million in memory of four significant Acholi military figures: Paul Lokech, Julius Oketa, former President Tito Okello Lutwa, and Perino Okoya Yeri.
The late Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech (pictured).
By New Vision Journalist
Journalists @New Vision
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Gulu City Council has issued an apology to the city dwellers for the delays in establishing a monument honoring Acholi war heroes.
On May 18, 2023, the Gulu City Council launched a project to construct monuments worth over shillings 40 million in memory of four significant Acholi military figures: Paul Lokech, Julius Oketa, former President Tito Okello Lutwa, and Perino Okoya Yeri.
The statues of these icons are planned to be placed at the roundabout near Pece Stadium.
This initiative aimed to boost tourism while honouring and celebrating the legacies, struggles, and achievements of these war icons, who played a crucial role in bringing peace to the Acholi sub-region and Uganda.
The project, implemented by Vintage Construction Limited, has unfortunately stalled.
John Charles Luwar, the Gulu City Senior Planner and focal point for the beautification and branding project funded under the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), acknowledged the project's delay, saying the contractor faced a misunderstanding with his landlord regarding ground rent for the workspace, prompting him to seek a new location to continue his work from scratch.
Additionally, Luwar mentioned the difficulty in locating Okoya’s portrait, leading to the decision to substitute it with that of the late Water Ochora Odoch.