“Marry many wives and produce many children,” Chope leader urges

Kiryandongo: The cultural leader of the Chope people in Kiryandongo District, His Royal Highness (Dabanda) Odong David Dayamu Cootye Ateenyi, has urged his subjects to embrace polygamy and produce more children in order to boost their population and increase household income.

He made the remarks at the newly established headquarters of the Paluo (Chope) Cultural Institution in Katulikire Trading Centre, Kichwabugingo Sub-county, Kiryandongo District.

The call follows a report by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), published by the Daily Monitor on March 8, 2026, indicating that the population of the Chope people in Kiryandongo declined from 34,327 in the 2014 national census to 26,029 in the 2024 census.

UBOS described the trend as a worrying population decline over the last eleven years, noting that the situation calls for urgent research to establish the cause of the decline and identify possible ways of reversing it.

Mr. Kisembo Denis Ochola Ateenyi Musiita, the Prime Minister of the yet-to-be gazetted Chope (Paluo) Cultural Institution, also renewed his appeal to the government to expedite the gazettement of the institution in order to protect and preserve the culture and traditions of the Chope people in the greater Kibanda area.

He also appealed to media houses in Kiryandongo District to prioritize the Chope language by giving it more airtime through dedicated programs.

“In homes, hospitals, schools, and other public places, we must ensure that the Chope language is spoken and prioritized,” the cultural leader added.

The Chope, also known as Paluo, are a distinct ethnic group native to the greater Kibanda areas of Kiryandongo and Masindi districts in north-western Uganda.

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