All is set for the kicking off of the Oyam North Member of Parliament byelection following the delivery of voting materials to the district on Tuesday and received by the returning officer.

The byelection for the constituency that fell vacant after the death of incumbent legislator Col (rtd) Charles Okello Engola, who was also industrial relations state minister is starting at 7:00am today, Thursday, July 6, 2023, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).

Okello Engola was on May 2 this year shot dead by his bodyguard, Wilson Sabiti, who later turned the gun on himself.

The polling materials received on Tuesday, include 167 black ballot boxes, 167 transparent ballot boxes, registers and biometric voter verification kits.

EC returning officer for Oyam district Richard Onoba, who received the materials, said the voting materials will be sorted and redistributed to all the 167 polling stations in the constituency before polling starts.

He observed that the materials are being kept at the Oyam district headquarters where EC will tally the byelections results.

The delivery of the polling materials was witnessed by representatives of the candidates.

Four candidates are contesting to replace Okello Engola including his son, Samuel Okello, who is the National Resistance Movement party flag-bearer, Eunice Apio Otuko of the Uganda People's Congress, Daniel Okello of the National Unity Platform and Freddie Newton Okello of the Forum for Democratic Change.

Onoba appealled to the voters to turn up for the polls so that they can choose a leader of their choice. 

“Let them be calm and peaceful,” he said.

Oyam North Constituency has a total of 90,733 registered voters with 167 polling stations in eight sub-counties inclusive of the town councils.