MPs, RDCs, high profile leaders, academics turn up as Acholi leaders rally behind new state minister Hon Akello Akori for Northern Uganda.
BY OKIDI PATRICK
Kampala, Uganda– June 8, 2026: It was pomp and colour at The Star Lounge in Matugga on Sunday evening as Hon. Beatrice Akello Akori was welcomed for her first official dinner hours after being sworn in as State Minister for Northern Uganda.
The dinner, held shortly after the swearing-in at State House Entebbe on June 8, attracted a cross-section of leaders from Acholi Sub-region and well-wishers who said Akori’s elevation to Cabinet was a win for Northern Uganda.
Among those at the dinner were Agago County MP Edward Otto Makmot and his family, Agago North MP Benson Lugwar, Chua West MP Simon Peter Adum, Agago Deputy RDC Susan Akot Moro, and representatives from Gulu University.
Agago District LC5 Chairperson Hon Wilson Otto commonly known as “Awil” and Acan Alice among others, who accompanied the minister during the swearing-in, also attended alongside Hon Akori’s family members.
‘Work begins now’
The mood at the packed venue was one of celebration, but speakers were quick to remind the new minister of the heavy task ahead. Northern Uganda, though peaceful, still lags in household income and youth employment, with leaders calling for faster implementation of government programmes on restocking, skilling, and agro-industrialisation.
“She has our support, but the region needs results. Our people want to see wealth in their homes, not just reports in Kampala,” one MP said.
Akori now takes over the Northern Uganda docket — a portfolio that coordinates post-war recovery efforts in Acholi, Lango and West Nile.
The dinner ended with leaders pledging to work with Akori to push the region’s development agenda under the Parish Development Model and other government interventions.
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