Gov’t & Catholic Church Agree Collaborate on Special Projects in WALK-T Regions

The government of Uganda has committed to funding and collaborating with the Catholic Church on various special projects focused on education, health, agriculture, and peace in the West Nile, Acholi, Lango, Karamoja, and Teso (WALK-T) regions. This decision was reached during a meeting on January 3, 2025, in Gulu City, which included Gen. Caleb Akandwanaho Salim Saleh, the Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation and Special Advisor to the President of Uganda on Defense and Military Affairs, along with members of the clergy from the WALK-T regions.

Notable attendees included His Grace Raphael p’Mony Wokorach MCCJ, Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese; His Lordship Dominic Eibu MCCJ, Bishop of Kotido Catholic Diocese; His Grace Dr. John Baptist Odama, Archbishop Emeritus; Hon. Lokii Peter Abrahams MP, the Member of Parliament for Jie County, Kotido District; Hon. Achia Remigio MP, the member of Parliament for Pian County, Nabilatuk District, H.E. Amb. Lt. Gen. Philip Idro- the Principal Advisor to the CCOWC/SPAD, the Hon. David Bwangamoe Pulkol- the Principal Advisor to the CCOWC/SPAD and Counsel Twinobusingye Severino, the Principal Legal Advisor to the CCOWC/SPAD and the President of the Catholic Lawyers Society International (CLASI), among others.

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The bishops agreed to establish a formal partnership with the Ugandan government for special projects in the Catholic Dioceses of Kotido, Moroto, Soroti, Lira, Arua, Nebbi, and Gulu Archdiocese. To date, the government has allocated over UGX 3 billion to the Cassava project for Gulu Archdiocese. Additionally, on his 65th birthday on January 14, Gen. Saleh opted to use the occasion as a fundraiser for Dogini Farm Limited, owned by the Little Sisters of Mary Immaculate of Gulu. He raised over UGX 1.2 billion in cash, along with tractors, Friesian cows, and materials needed to complete the sisters’ convent.

In the Karamoja subregion, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the founding Chancellor of the Karamoja Peace and Technology University (KAPATU) Project, has allocated UGX 180 billion towards the establishment of the university. The goal is to foster social and economic transformation through peace, education, health, and agricultural initiatives based in Kotido Diocese, with plans to extend services to Moroto Diocese and the wider Karamoja subregion. The cooperation is underway, and the next step is to implement these initiatives once the formal agreements are signed between the government and the respective Catholic dioceses.