By morning, the people who frequent the king George playground could not access it due to heavy Police deployment as it was declared a crime scene following a contention of ownership between the Itesots and Jopadholas. Then other parts of the town, Police maintained heavy deployment with Police patrol cars parked on key streets awaiting for any eventuality.

It all started after the Itesot Community in the district announced they would hold their Cultural Heritage Day at King George Stadium in Tororo Municipality. This did not go down well in the Cultural Institution of Ityenga Adhola who saw this as a sign of provocation and vailed attack on their subjects since they considered the stadium their coronation ground and therefore a Jopadhola Cultural Heritage. While addressing a press conference at Ityenga Adhola Cultural office, the Jopadhola Prime Minister Josel Richard Obo stressed that in his meeting between His Royal Highness Kwele Adhola and key district stakeholders it was realized that the celebration was improperly organized. “Under the arrangement of the King’s Forum of Uganda, any Cultural Institution intending to use or carry out an activity where another King reigns should officially communicate and request for reception and courtesy. This has not been done by the Itesot Cultural leaders.”

The visibly angry Premier expressed shock as the pronouncement by the District Resident Commissioner Tororo Mr. Martin Orochi that the Itesots were prepared to offer their own security for the function, a move Obo interprets as drawing a battle line saying they won’t tolerate it. “And we wish to interpret that as being prepared for violence and this will certainly attract self-defense on the side of the Jopadhola. His Royal Highness Ikwaragola was installed as the King of the Jopadhola on Saturday the 7th August 1999 at the King George Memorial Stadium Tororo.”

But to the RDC Tororo Martin Orochi, Ityenga Adhola’s decision to hold a press conference wasn’t necessary. “No, it was not necessary. That one was an incitement, it was not necessary. It’s a matter of engaging the counterpart at a leadership level.” Orochi, however, declared the venue King George stadium which was under contention a no-go area saying the Police would remain deployed until the matter was put to rest. “We don’t even want to drag ourselves into issues of ownership, who owns the Municipality. But since it is a point of contention, let the Itesot continue with their business in Mukujju or elsewhere, let the Jopadholas continue in West Budama anywhere they prefer.”