Why the speech matters
Peace must be matched by a viable livelihood.
Fr Lobereei presents the reformed Karacuna as active agents of peace and economic recovery. Addressing the President, he credits the presidential pardon with giving former warriors a second chance, while also recognising the Women’s Peace Forum, elders, the Akiriket, security forces and the Karacuna themselves.
The speech’s central argument is direct: peace will not endure unless people can earn, save, trade and invest. It describes former warriors returning to old cross-border corridors with money and merchandise instead of weapons—buying cattle and grain from Lango, trading with Toposa communities in South Sudan and engaging relatives in Turkana.
“The raiding routes are becoming trading routes. The old corridors of war are becoming corridors of business.”
Fr Raphael Lobereei, 11th Karamoja Cultural Festival
Programme-reported progress
Priorities presented to the President
The speech asks for stronger block funding and affordable credit for the SACCOs; land for livestock zones and block farms; pasture production, haymaking and cattle finishing; suitable high-value crops; and access to lorries on affordable credit so producers can reach markets and retain more value in Karamoja.
According to the information supplied by AFLI, the address drew the President’s attention during the festival. The source document records the speech itself; it does not independently document any subsequent presidential decision arising from it.
Evidence note: the numerical figures and accounts of programme progress above are attributed to Fr Lobereei’s speech. This page preserves them as a public leadership testimony, not as an independently verified impact evaluation.
Suggested citation
Lobereei, Raphael. Remarks at the 11th Karamoja Cultural Festival. Address to the President of the Republic of Uganda, Moroto, 11 September 2026.