In the late 1960s a Scottish agriculturalist based in Karamoja fell in love with the Karamoja rich culture and heritage. The Karimojong are a resilient, pastoralist group in northeastern Uganda, believed to have migrated from Ethiopia in the 1600s. Their, rich heritage is centers on cattle, which define their social structure, wealth, and identity. They maintain strong traditions, including colourful beadwork, scarification, and traditional dancing, with life centered on the manyatta (homestead).
Cattle are central to life, representing wealth, status, and essential resources for marriage and conflict resolution.The community is organized by age sets, with elders holding significant authority and overseeing community matter. The Karamojong live in fortified homesteads called manyattas, which are often constructed with thorny branches to protect people and livestock.
Women wear colourful beads and traditional cloths, while girls often wear bead belts over "carong" skirts. Traditional dances involve high jumping, and storytelling is a valued tradition. They often mark their skin for beauty and tribal identification. The culture includes skilled pottery, jewellery making, and stool carving.
In mid 1970s former President of Uganda, Id Amin, tired of the Karimojong lifestyle of refusing to quickly embrace modernity, declared for the Karimojong to disband their lifestyle and burn all their artefacts and embrace contemporary living. This was resisted and as a result 360 people were killed many of them were buried in Napak District in a mass grave.
As the Karimajong heritage was being decimated, a Scottish by the name John Wilson decided to buy off most of their artefacts and preserve it for future generations. John Wilson was an agriculturalist based in Moroto at the time. When the Amin government heard about John Wilson’s endeavours to preserve the Karimajong culture, they came for him and this forced him to flee Uganda via Turkana up to his homeland Scotland. John Wilson fled with 207 objects he had gathered in Karamoja.
After some time, he returned to Kenya and bought a home in Kitale Town where he lived. In 1997, he ordered for his artefacts to be brought back to his home in Kitale. His wish was always for the government of Uganda to built a decent museum and pick these artefacts for the generations that will come after.
When the government got to know about this wonderful man that had preserved the Karimojong artefacts, they approached him and began a conversation for him to return these special artefacts back to Uganda for preservation. He gave conditions. He wanted government of Uganda to build for him a house in Karamoja where he would live together with his artefacts. He also wanted national recognition.
Unfortunately for Wilson, he died in 2021 before his dream of having a home in Uganda was realised .1n 2023, government of Uganda working together with Wilson’s adopted son, Dr Emmanuel Ndiyama who was working with National Museums of Kenya began the conversations of how those artefacts could be returned to Uganda. At that the artefacts were in the custody of Wilson’s wife, a one Anna Wilson who had shifted from Kitale to Kiyambu in Nairobi Kenya.

On the 10th May 2023, a team from the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities led by the former Under Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and AntiqutiesAntiquities, Mr. Samuel Kakhula and the Ag. Commissioner, Museums and AntiquitiesMonumentsuseums, Ms Dr. Nyirakiza Jackline Besigye went to Nairobi to meet Ms Annea Wilson to get the artefacts back to Uganda. Ms Anne Wilson had wanted the government of Uganda to buy them but she was convinced that that would contravene the international law on illicit trafficking of cultural objects. It was agreed that she gets 10000 USD as a thank you stipend for having kept these artefacts for over 50 years.
Ms Annea Wilson handed overut the artefacts and were first kept with the National Museums of Kenya before being brought to Uganda.

In July 2025 these objects were returned to Uganda and are currently being kept at the Soroti Museum. Thereafter, a decision was taken to build the Karamoja Culture Centre in MorotoKaramoja Cultural Centre in Moroto to showcase this heritage, including tools, artifacts, and stories about the region. Visitors can experience this culture through community-based tourism, such as visiting traditional homesteads (manyattas) to learn about their daily, often nomadic, lifestyle.
Within the very museum, there is a John Wilson chamber where all artefacts that were returned from the Wilsons will be kept.
It has also been agreed that Ms Anne Wilson will be present and will be honoured during the launch of Moroto Cultural Centre that is expected to be later this year.

The facility, located at the foot of Mount Moroto, is now in its final stages of construction, with works estimated at between 85–87% complete. Once finished, it will become the first museum in the Karamoja sub-region, dedicated to preserving and showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Karamojong people.
The project is being implemented under the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, as part of government efforts to promote cultural tourism and heritage conservation.
Julius Mboggo, representing Advanta Uganda Limited, the project contractor confirmed that the works are nearing completion.
“We are in the advanced stages of construction, currently at about 85% completion. What remains now are the finishing works. This project was initiated because Karamoja had no museum despite its rich cultural heritage. The Ministry identified Moroto as the ideal location to establish this important cultural centre,” he said.
Mboggo added that the architectural design of the museum reflects the traditional manyatta style common in the region, blending cultural authenticity with modern construction standards.
“We have incorporated elements that replicate the manyatta style of building, ensuring that the structure preserves the identity of the Karamojong while meeting modern construction standards,” he noted.
Once completed, the museum will feature a variety of collections, including archaeological, ethnographic, and natural history exhibits such as traditional tools, artefacts, and fossils discovered over the years.
The Karamoja Museum is expected to boost tourism in the region and contribute to increased revenue from both domestic and international visitors, while positioning Karamoja as a key cultural destination in Uganda.
This place once completed will also serve as a debrief Centre for the mountain climbers that frequent Mt Moroto. It will also have a modern canteen and resting places for those that might want to spend a night.

The writer works with Uganda Media Centre