Matheniko elders purify shrine for Museveni dedicatory blessing
Across the Karamoja sub-region, elders have virgin shrines that they sanctify in efforts to honour special people in society, such as President Museveni, whom they describe as a revolutionary of the 21st century who has made a difference in leadership by contributing to political and socio-economic stability in Uganda.
Junior elders share up a meeting to purify Nakorete shrine. (Credit: Olandason Wanyama)
A council of Matheniko elders has cleansed the Nakoreto, a virgin shrine on the outskirts of Moroto town, ahead of a ceremony to dedicate and bless President Yoweri Museveni.
The elders from the Matheniko community spent more than five hours at the shrine on September 8, 2026, conducting traditional prayers and spearing a male sheep as part of efforts to sanctify the shrine, which is located amid thorny Acacia senegal trees.
Across the Karamoja sub-region, elders have virgin shrines that they sanctify in efforts to honour special people in society, such as President Museveni, whom they describe as a revolutionary of the 21st century who has made a difference in leadership by contributing to political and socio-economic stability in Uganda.
Karamoja affairs minister John Baptist Loki acknowledged the elders' efforts to sanctify the shrine.
“We cannot take the President to an old shrine that has been visited by all sorts of persons,” Loki noted, adding that this was the reason the elders picked a virgin shrine in the area.
He further said that, upon the President's expected arrival in Moroto, he would be driven to the shrine, where he would be welcomed by the chief priest of the elders.
“A dedicatory prayer will be commanded by a chief elder,” Loki said, adding that traditional blessings would later be bestowed on the head of state until 2031 and beyond.
Minister for Karamoja affairs John Baptist Loi speaks at the event in Nakorete village. (Credit: Olandason Wanyama)
Additionally, Loki said the President is expected to address the elders before heading to Naitakwae Ground to launch the 11th Karamoja Cultural Festival, which kicked off on September 6, 2026, and will run until September 12, 2026.
David Bwangamoe Pulkol, a former spy chief and son of the soil, appreciated the elders for taking up the initiative to bless the President.
“It’s a welcome move if the elders can hold a dedicatory blessing for him,” he noted.
He added that efforts to find a virgin shrine for dedication in Karamoja remain an issue, adding that it takes time for such a decision to be honoured by elders.
However, Pulkol noted that President Museveni has done a lot for the sub-region, including the removal of illegal guns from illegal hands, an issue that is positively contributing to peace.
The purification ceremony was witnessed by several regional police chiefs and the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces, led by the newly deployed 3rd Infantry Division commander, Gen. Michael Walaka Hyeroba.