The Lugbara community in Uganda has been thrown into mourning following the death of its cultural leader, His Highness Yumah Amuku Manase, who passed away at Arua Regional Referral Hospital in the early hours of Monday. Manase, who served as the fourth Lugbara Agofe and chief of the Ayivu people, reportedly died at around 4:00 am after battling illness. His death has left cultural leaders, elders and members of the community grieving the loss of a man who played an important role in their cultural institution.
Manase died at the age of 79, just weeks before his expected 80th birthday next month. According to family members and Ayivu clan elders, the cultural leader had been struggling with hypertension and diabetes before developing respiratory complications. His condition reportedly worsened, prompting his admission to Arua Regional Referral Hospital on Friday, where he received medical attention. He was also said to have been placed on oxygen support before he passed away.
The news of his death was confirmed by Elly Ejiku Emo, the Prime Minister of Lugbara Kari under the Lugbara Agofe institution. Emo said preparations for the burial had already started as family members and cultural leaders began making arrangements to give their leader a respectful send-off. He revealed that Manase’s body had been transferred to Adumi Health Centre IV in Ayivu Division, Arua City, where arrangements were being coordinated.
While announcing the death, Emo described Manase as a leader who cared deeply about the welfare of the Lugbara people and wanted to see their cultural institution grow stronger. According to him, the late Agofe had hoped to develop the institution to a level comparable to established cultural institutions such as Buganda, Bunyoro, Tooro, Bamasaba and Alur. His death has therefore raised concerns about the future of the institution and the efforts to strengthen cultural leadership among the Lugbara people.
Fadhil Lemmeriga, the Prime Minister of the Aringa Kingdom, also joined the bereaved family and Lugbara Kari elders in preparing for the burial. Lemmeriga described the late Manase as a peaceful leader who valued unity and development within the community. He called on members of the Lugbara community to honour the cultural leader’s legacy by putting aside their differences. He particularly appealed to rival groups within Lugbara Kari to work together and ensure that the burial arrangements proceed peacefully.
Manase became the fourth Lugbara Agofe following the death of his predecessor, His Highness Jackson Avutia, about two years ago. However, his time as cultural leader was accompanied by disagreements among some members of the institution. A faction associated with former Prime Minister Ismail Tuku and other cultural leaders reportedly challenged aspects of the institution’s leadership, creating divisions that raised questions about its unity and future direction.
The leadership disagreements reportedly became more serious following the installation of Anzelo Pati, a Maracha clan leader, as Agofe-designate despite a Chief Magistrate’s Court ruling that had stopped the installation ceremony a week earlier. The institution has also faced disagreements surrounding the Save Ayivu Initiative, which advocates for the creation of Ayivu District rather than the area remaining part of Arua City. These unresolved issues have added to the challenges facing the cultural institution at a time when its members are mourning their leader.
As the Lugbara community prepares to lay Manase to rest, attention is turning to the future of the Agofe institution and whether his death will encourage rival groups to reconcile. Cultural leaders have called for peace, unity and respect for the late leader’s legacy, while the full burial programme and further details about the family he leaves behind remain unconfirmed. For many members of the community, Manase’s death marks not only the loss of a cultural leader but also a critical moment for the Lugbara people to reflect on their unity, traditions and the future of their cultural leadership.
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