Tororo leaders agree to elevate Municipality to City Status

The long-standing conflict over the administrative structure of Tororo District took a significant turn after leaders from both Tororo County and West Budama agreed to elevate Tororo Municipality to a city status using its current boundaries.

The agreement was reached during a high-level meeting with the Vice President, where a delegation from Tororo district convened to resolve the contentious issues surrounding the future of the area’s administrative units.

After intense deliberations and submissions from both factions, consensus was reached on granting city status to Tororo Municipality.

However, sharp disagreements remain over which side should retain the name “Tororo District.”

Both Tororo County and West Budama had previously requested the creation of two separate districts each.

But after analyzing the feasibility, VP Alupo informed the delegation that the government could only accommodate three administrative units: a city for Tororo Municipality, one district for Tororo County, and another for West Budama.

“The government cannot sustain the burden of too many administrative units at once,” the Vice President said, urging the leaders to accept the proposed structure, with a possibility of future splits as needed.

She also revealed that Mukuju is already a gazetted district awaiting operationalization and called for its fast-tracking.

Tororo District Woman MP Sarah Opendi backed the Vice President’s proposal and expressed support for naming the new city Tororo.

She suggested that the two new districts could adopt neutral or compound names, such as Tororo-Mukuju and Kisoko-Mukuju.

West Budama South MP reiterated that Tororo District already exists and should not be considered for recreation under the same name.

Meanwhile, Tanga Odoi proposed that the delegation finalize the city resolution first and revisit the naming issue later.

Former MP for Tororo North County, Annet Nyaketcho, urged the team to follow precedents set by other municipalities-turned-cities, like Soroti and Mbale, which retained their original district names.

Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs Jacob Oboth Oboth downplayed the naming disagreement, calling it a minor issue that could be resolved if leaders put aside personal egos.

“There is no way a new administrative unit can go with the old name,” Oboth emphasized.

As deliberations continue, the final resolution is expected soon, and the public will be updated accordingly.

After intense deliberations and submissions from both factions, consensus was reached on granting city status to Tororo Municipality.