A multi-million-shilling cultural and coffee enterprise spearheaded by Sylvia Owori, the Director of Operations at Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), has stalled after the government reclaimed a former rehabilitation center for ex-Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) returnees. The government reclaimed the facility, citing the lack of a formal agreement authorising its use.
The project, Adungu Cultural Centre, is located at the former SOS Children’s Village premises in Pawel Central Cell, Laroo-Pece Division, Gulu City, and is currently under the control of the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM). The property, which remains the subject of a long-running ownership dispute between Gulu City and Gulu District Local Government, was handed over to the OPM in December 2023 to serve as a rehabilitation centre for former LRA returnees.
Since then, the facility has rehabilitated at least 146 former LRA abductees between 2023 and June 2025, most of whom defected from the rebel group in the Central African Republic (CAR). Following the reintegration of the last batch of returnees into their communities in June 2025, the facility remained vacant.
Sylvia Owori then sought permission from the OPM to temporarily utilize the premises. In a letter dated August 11, 2025, addressed to the Permanent Secretary in the OPM, Owori requested that Adungu Cultural Centre be allowed to occupy the facility.
“To keep the place busy, Adungu Cultural Centre, a registered community-based organisation operating through eight core programme areas, requests to utilize this space temporarily,” the letter states in part.
Owori said the centre intended to undertake activities including creative product development, cultural heritage promotion, preservation of indigenous knowledge, film and digital media training, women and girls’ empowerment programmes, green culture and innovation initiatives, festivals and outreach activities, as well as sports, wellness and leadership programmes.
“The purpose of this letter is to officially request that Adungu Cultural Centre use the space. If the ex-LRA returnees come back, the cultural centre shall be ready to embrace them by providing skills training, cultural enrichment, rehabilitation through arts and sports, and support for their resettlement programmes in their villages of origin,” she wrote. Following the request, the OPM’s Under Secretary for Finance and Administration reportedly wrote to the Acting Under Secretary for Pacification and Development on October 15, 2025, seeking guidance on the proposal.
Although Uganda Radio Network was unable to obtain a copy of the official response, multiple officials familiar with the matter said Owori had been advised to wait for formal approval and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the OPM before commencing any activities at the site.
One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the government officials were surprised to discover that renovations and developments had already commenced before an agreement was signed.
“The Permanent Secretary made it clear that if she wanted to use the space, she had to enter into an MoU with the OPM outlining the nature of the project and the duration of occupancy because the facility is being reserved for former LRA returnees from the Central African Republic,” the source said. The source added that the government is also preparing for the possible return of followers of the late Alice Lakwena, currently residing in Kenya.
“There are also groups associated with Alice Lakwena in Nairobi whose return is being negotiated, and they would equally require rehabilitation at the same facility,” the source said.
According to the source, despite being informed that the premises remained designated as a rehabilitation centre, Owori appeared reluctant to suspend the ongoing developments. Another senior OPM official, who also requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said there was no formal agreement between the government and Adungu Cultural Centre.
“As far as I know, there is no MoU between Sylvia Owori and the OPM,” the official said. Uganda Radio Network has further established that Adungu Cultural Centre was registered as a Community-Based Organisation (CBO) in Gulu City in July 2025.
Speaking to Uganda Radio Network, Owori confirmed that she had initiated the project at the site, saying her vision was to transform the facility into a centre for cultural preservation, skills development, and economic empowerment. She acknowledged that discussions on an MoU with the OPM were still ongoing but dismissed suggestions that the project would be affected by the return of former combatants.
“We are still in discussions. I don’t think we will be impacted because those same people who are returnees are also going to need some of the activities we’ve been doing under the Adungu Cultural Centre,” she said. On concerns surrounding the ownership dispute over the property, Owori said her engagement had been solely with the OPM, which granted her access to the premises.
“The people who let us come in were OPM. We wrote to the Office of the Prime Minister, and we are still under them. We will wait for further communication from OPM before engaging Gulu City,” she said. Since the repatriation of 51 former abductees and fighters of the LRA and the SPLM-IO between May and June this year, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has maintained tight security at the rehabilitation centre.
Maj. Gen. Felix Busizoori, the Commander of the UPDF Fourth Infantry Division, confirmed that the military’s role at the facility is limited to providing security for the returnees. The returnees at the facility are expected to undergo a comprehensive rehabilitation programme for about 18 months undertaken by Terra Renaissance, a Non-Governmental organization-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
