culture 12 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Jopadhola Cultural Institution Initiates Comprehensive Census
The paramount chief of the Jopadhola Cultural Institution, Kwar Moses Stephen Owor, has mandated a clan-led census to determine the exact population of the Jopadhola people both within Uganda and internationally. This initiative aims to enhance development planning and reconnect scattered communities. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/jopadhola-to-undergo-full-census-in-new-development-strategy-5629836
The Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution, led by Paramount Chief Kwar Moses Stephen Owor, has launched an ambitious census project to accurately count the Jopadhola population. The directive, issued to all 56 clan chiefs, aims to establish a definitive number of Jopadhola people residing in Uganda and across international borders.
Kwar Owor highlighted that the current lack of precise demographic data hinders effective development planning and service delivery. “We are Jopadhola by blood, but we don’t know our number. Government says we are 700,000. Others say we are one million. We must know our own people,” he stated, emphasizing the need for an internally driven count.
This cultural census will be conducted by clan chiefs, parish chiefs, and village elders, distinguishing it from government-led enumerations. The primary goal is to identify not only the total number of Jopadhola but also to gather details on age demographics, including children, youth, and elders, and their locations.
Plans for a Jopadhola Development Fund, a cultural SACCO, and a scholarship program are underway, but their effectiveness is contingent on accurate population figures. The census also seeks to address issues such as land grabbing, poverty, and the erosion of the Dhopadhola language, particularly among younger generations and those living abroad.
“We have Jopadhola in Osodo in Kenya, in Bunyala, in Navakholo, and in Nairobi. They speak Dhopadhola, but they have no link to Tororo. This census will connect them,” Kwar Owor explained, underscoring the initiative’s role in reintegrating dispersed communities.
Data collection will involve household questionnaires gathering information on clan and family names, household composition, school attendance, and languages spoken at home. The compiled data will be submitted to the Prime Minister’s office of the Tieng Adhola Cultural Institution for final tabulation. A subsequent “Padhola Day” will be held to announce the census results, with Kwar Owor cautioning against political inflation of numbers and urging for truthful reporting.