Gulu City Council has withheld clearance for the second edition of the Gulu City Oktoberfest festival pending security clearance and an appraisal meeting with the organisers.
The festival, inaugurated last year by former Gulu City Council Mayor Alfred Okwonga, is scheduled to run from October 3 to October 12, 2026, at Kaunda Parade Grounds in Gulu City. The event seeks to showcase a fusion of German Bavarian culture and Acholi traditions while promoting tourism, unity and cultural exchange.
However, less than a month to the festival, Gulu City Council Town Clerk Innocent Ahimbisibwe told Uganda Radio Network on Saturday that the organisers had not provided proof of the requisite security clearance.
Ahimbisibwe said the festival attracts foreign visitors, requiring the organisers to obtain clearance from security and other relevant government agencies and demonstrate that health, sanitation and other requirements have been addressed before the City can grant approval.
His remarks came a day after Okwonga issued a statement calling for the cancellation of the festival, citing the organisers’ failure to secure the required security and City authority approvals.
Speaking to journalists in Gulu City on Saturday, Okwonga said the festival was facing significant financial, operational and regulatory challenges that could make it difficult to hold it successfully.
He cited the absence of clearance from the Inspector General of Police and the lack of requisite approval from Gulu City authorities.
According to Okwonga, the organising committee had submitted the necessary documents seeking authorisation to hold the festival but had not received feedback from the authorities, unlike during the inaugural edition.
Okwonga said logistical and security challenges, coupled with financial constraints arising from reduced donor sponsorship, had prompted him to advise the Rotary Club of Gulu to call off the festival rather than risk further expenditure and potential legal or operational complications.
He also called for vendors who had paid for exhibition and trading spaces to be refunded. Okwonga said cancelling the festival would have a significant economic impact on Gulu City and neighbouring districts, noting that organisers had projected that the event would generate about 10 billion Shillings in economic activity.
Additionally, Ahimbisibwe dismissed claims that the City Council had blocked the festival, saying the Council was instead waiting for the organisers to undertake an appraisal of last year’s event before considering approval for the second edition.
He said the appraisal should bring together the organisers, security personnel, health officials, members of the business community, hotel owners and other stakeholders to identify challenges encountered during the inaugural event and agree on measures to prevent their recurrence.
“From the time the function was held, the organisers have never sat with us to make an appraisal. So we needed to have an appraisal of what the challenges were give them feedback,” Ahimbisibwe said.
He added that the City Council remains open to engaging the organisers, but the necessary security and regulatory requirements must be fulfilled before the festival can proceed.
The first edition of the Gulu City Oktoberfest, according to the organisers, attracted nearly 30,000 people, including foreign tourists. The organisers also claimed that the festival injected about three billion Shillings into the local economy within Gulu City. Uganda Radio Network could not independently verify the attendance and economic impact figures-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
