Ker-Kwaro Acholi (KKA).

Ker Kwaro Acholi (KKA) is the cultural institution of the Acholi ethnic group. It has its roots in the traditional political organisation of the Acholi people as chiefdoms.  Since 2000, KKA has engaged in a number of different peacebuilding programmes, most of which have been directly linked to ending the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency and resettling Acholi people back in their villages.  Its emphasis lies on the passing over of cultural knowledge to the younger generations, who have been uprooted by the two decades of war and displacement.

One of the most important engagements of KKA was the advocacy and lobbying for a peaceful means to end the conflict between the LRA and the Ugandan government.  This eventually led to the Juba Peace Talks and the relative peace enjoyed to date.  The Acholi cultural chiefs have functioned as advisers and monitors of the peace process and have promoted confidence building between parties.  Current programmes include:

• Capacity Building - KKA has been active in capacity building of cultural leaders, mainly in the field of peace and conflict resolution.
• Land Dispute Resolution- Land issues have become a cause of many conflicts in the post-war Acholi society. KKA is engaging in customary mediation of land conflicts and emphasises respect for customary communal ownership of land and its acquisition.
• Sensitisation - Cultural leaders have moved throughout the whole Acholi sub-region to sensitise the Acholi people on issues of peace and reconciliation, especially in connection with the revival of the Acholi culture.
• Cleansing and reburial ceremonies – KKA is working with the support of the USAID-funded Northern Ugandan Transition Initiative (NUTI) to carry out land cleansing and reburial ceremonies, in order to promote healing and support the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their homes.