Four family members of fugitive LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony, who recently returned to Uganda from the Central African Republic (CAR), will undergo the Acholi cleansing ritual to free them from bad omens, the Acholi cultural institution has said.
On Sunday, the chiefdom authorities said the cultural rite is meant to protect Ruth Acan (Kony’s ‘wife’), Maisa Amu, Betty Akidi, and Pope Kony from the bad spirits they came across while in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and CAR.
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The quartet returned to Uganda early last week on a chartered plane from CAR after defecting to the security agencies there. They were later received at Entebbe International Airport by the State Minister for Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Dr Kenneth Omona.
Mr Geoffrey Okello Okuna, the minister of Information in Ker Kwaro Acholi, confirmed the report, stating that they were yet to agree on a date for holding the ceremony “We have already met with officials from the Minister of Defense, but have yet to agree on the date,” he said.
He said a date will be communicated on when the LRA returnees will have to undergo the process. He also revealed that the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) will be part of the process to cleanse family members of the ICC-indicted LRA chief who has a $5m bounty on his head.
During the ritual, the accused person steps on fresh eggs and an ofa tree branch. The ceremony dates back a century ago. A family member who has long stayed in a foreign land without visiting home also undergoes a similar ritual ceremony to chase away bad omens.
Such rituals (nyono tong gweno and mato oput) not only provide reconciliation for communities, but also bring a sense of closure, and a renewal of lost dignity and pride through empowering communities affected by violent deaths.
Mr Dera Okello, 64, a resident of Lagwiny Village in Bungatira Sub-county, Gulu District, says stepping on the fresh eggs and ofa tree branch (opobo tree) is a sign of remorsefulness for the crime committed. He adds: “In Acholi culture, revenge is forbidden, especially when a perpetrator voluntarily confesses to the crime. Meanwhile, Acholi people view eggs as sacred, pure, and peaceful because it has no opening, and nothing evil has entered them.” Mr Okello said.
Eggs, according to Acholi elders, are through which a new life is born, thus the former rebels will have a new beginning in life after abandoning their old ways of life. By stepping on the egg, the former rebels are being forgiven and told they are innocent and welcomed home. The affected communities also believe that will go a long way to cement weave the fabrics of relationships that have broken down due to the violence. In the recent past, ex-LRA combatants, including rebel commanders, underwent a similar traditional cleansing ceremony. Acholi people believe conducting such a ceremony will
go a long way to purify those accused of committing serious crimes.
In December 2024, Ms Maria Mabinty Kamara, the ICC Field Outreach Coordinator for Uganda, told journalists in Gulu City that the Hague-based court would not interfere with any local process geared towards achieving peace and reconciliation. According to Ms Kamara, the ICC will try those most responsible for planning, financing, and carrying out attacks against the local population in northern Uganda.
Past beneficiaries
In the recent past, ex-LRA combatants, including rebel commanders, underwent a similar traditional cleansing ceremony.
Those who have already benefitted from the traditional cleansing are Brig Kenneth Banya and Maj Gen Caesar Acellam, both of whom claim that they were abducted by the rebels to fight President Museveni’s government
