The election of a Karimojong king has caused cracks, division and surprise among the local people, including the elites and the none elites.

While addressing the media yesterday Wednesday, the national vice chairperson-NRM for Karamoja, Simon Peter Aleper commonly known as Aspro wondered how the Karimojong acquired a king, an initiative he says has never existed in the history of the Karimojong.

Flanked by members of the Karamoja Elders Association under the chairmanship of Simon Nangiro, Aspro noted that the move is strange and a misrepresentation of the people and culture of Karamoja.

He added that the idea of Kingship waters down the traditional norms of the Karimojong and he pronounced the elected Karimojong King and his cabinet as null and void.

He called upon the Karimojong to calm down and desist from building parallel structures that cause divisionism amongst the people.

Jackson Angella,an elder in Moroto has condemned the initiative, saying Karamoja manages its affairs using elders.

Another elder Peter Logiro re-echoed that traditional leadership in the region is guided by elders and not by Kingship as it has been pronounced by a section of selfish people.

Logiro however was cognizant of the need to have a central platform to handle the issues of Karamoja but not through adopting a strange culture that never existed in the region.

On his side, the chairman Karamoja Elders Association, Simon Nangiro expressed shock over the initiative, saying he was even appointed a cabinet member as the minister for finance without prior knowledge.

Nangiro however called upon the initiators of the idea of Kingship to join their team and they harmonise their agenda for the betterment of Karamoja.