Thank you, Acholi, for voting for Museveni

___________________

OPINION

By Aciro Paska Menya

I take this opportunity to thank the Acholi sub-region, especially East Acholi, for overwhelmingly voting for President Yoweri Museveni in the just-concluded presidential elections. 

East Acholi comprises four districts, namely: Pader, which I represent in Parliament as a Woman MP; Agago, Kitgum and Lamwo. 

I am happy the President scored highly in East Acholi, with Agago district topping with 88.94% for Museveni, while his main rival, Robert Kyagulanyi of the National Unity Platform (NUP), trailed with 7.49%. Pader district came second, with 87.15% in favour of Museveni, while Kyagulanyi got 7.21%. In Kitgum district, the President scored 81% while Kyagulanyi got 11.8%. Lamwo district voted for Museveni with 84.51% while Kyagulanyi obtained 9.98%. 

This is what I assured the President during the caucus meeting at State House, Entebbe, around April last year, and I am glad it has come to pass. 

I thank the voters of Pader district and Acholi at large for listening to our campaign message during the presidential and parliamentary campaigns, and coming out in big numbers and voting for President Museveni. 

In a special way, I thank the Commander of the 5th Infantry Division, Maj. Gen. Keith Katungi and his venerable team, namely: Gen. Otto Owili and Col Susan Lakot Oruni and Col Alanyo Jeniffer, for the excellent role they played in ensuring that the presidential and the parliamentary elections were peacefully conducted. Since 2023, when Gen. Katungi was deployed as division commander, he has been actively involved in promoting peace and security, and his efforts contributed a lot in having peaceful elections in the sub-region.

The victory of President Museveni makes me happy as a leader from northern Uganda because of the following:

i) Aged 32 in 2021 when I was elected Woman MP for Pader district, I found some people fearing to campaign for President Museveni. Though I stood on an independent ticket, I told my agents that we had to work hard and campaign for President Museveni. This was because Yoweri, as fondly called in Acholi land, had fought hard to restore peace in northern Uganda after more than 20 years of insurgency caused by our own son, Joseph Kony, of the Lord’s Resistance Army. Some of my agents were uncomfortable with my position, saying that campaigning openly for Museveni was going to cost us our votes. This was because the then NRM leaders were winning and Museveni was losing in favour of the opposition, specifically the Forum for Democratic Change FDC president, Dr Kiiza Besigye.

ii) I am happy we campaigned for President Museveni, and we both won, and this was the first time for him to win in the Pader district. Although I have been unable to retain my parliamentary seat, I am happy that my team campaigned tirelessly towards the huge percentage scored by President Museveni in Pader district, with all our vehicles branded with the President’s portraits. We campaigned for him through radio, public rallies and all other public gatherings. Thus, all the above efforts combined with others gave our revolutionary leader 87.15%, helping the President to win Pader again for the second time. This was massive. 

To me, this is a clear justification that the NRM leaders then were selfish toward their party President. They could not defend him and clear his name on the allegations made by the opposition, who were brainwashing voters that Museveni was going to steal Acholi land if voted for. The NRM leaders feared losing their votes and could keep quiet about these lies.

During my interaction with the people, I could ask them if it is true that Museveni was going to steal their land, how come you don’t vote for him, but still other regions vote for him, and he has never stolen their land? It’s because of this direct interaction with the people that they realised that the opposition had been feeding them on lies for a long time, and they started supporting the President after knowing that the opposition was using propaganda on the land grabbing allegations to make Museveni look like a bad leader before the voters. I know the people listen when leaders tell them the truth.

a) I am happy that, in 2021, when I contested for the Pader district woman MP parliamentary seat, my team and I were able to clear such lies and propaganda, and people knew the truth. The people of Pader district are now ready to work together with the President toward poverty eradication, to work for both the stomach and pocket (from tic me yic kiken to tic me yic ki jaba)  and also to move from one meal a day to three.

Museveni is now a darling not only in East Acholi but also to the entire Acholi sub-region.

He should be credited for restoring peace in northern Uganda, and, indeed, he deserved the win in Acholi.

Personally, I am a fan of the Patriotic League of Uganda, and I am convinced that our leader, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, can act well as a standby generator. We need young people with a clear vision and ideologically upright, unlike Kyagulanyi, whose leadership is not built on a clear ideology. 

a) As I leave the Parliament, I feel happy, and I thank God that I have diligently served the people of Pader district as their District Woman MP. God has been kind to me because He has used me to serve his people.

In my one term as MP, I have been able to sponsor 25 students to attain university education, and all graduated. Through lobbying and advocacy, Awere Health Centre III has been upgraded to Health Centre IV. I’m happy that Pajule Health Centre IV now has an operational theatre, saving people from travelling long distances to Kitgum for the same services.

I was able to lobby for over sh700m to work on the community roads, and farmers are now able to transport their farm produce to better markets. I have used my personal resources and purchased an ambulance similar to that of the Government to help people handle emergencies from villages to referral hospitals. I constructed an office block for cultural leaders at Payira. I provided financial support to help children with nodding disease and people living with HIV. 

I lobbied for six boreholes from One Million Wells (organisation), which were constructed in different auction marketplaces to help traders access safe and clean water. With the same support, I was able to train/skill seven youth on how to drill boreholes. I supported pregnant mothers with mama kits like basins and other things, in all the health facilities in Pader district, to help motivate them deliver at the facilities.

I supported widows with hoes, I lobbied for 50 wheelchairs for people with disabilities in Pader district, I empowered 23 women mobile catering groups with 23 tents in different sub-counties, and I empowered bodaboda associations of Pader district with 1,200 plastic chairs, among other things. I did this to not only empower the different groups in the community but also to extend services closer to our people in the different parts of the district. I also supported school-going children throughout the district with scholastic materials yearly.

During my term, as a way of promoting culture and holy marriages, I have also provided brand new mattresses to all couples who do mass weddings in churches. I am happy that God has used me to do this, and as a strong catholic, I believe in destiny.

Finally, it was a huge shock to me that all the opinion polls kept me in the lead throughout the campaign period till the eve of voting, when things changed. Whatever happened, I don’t know. But I thank the voters who gave me about 17,000 votes. I accept the results, and I thank God for the time He has given me to serve his people.

I wish the woman MP-elect the best time in service for the people of Pader district and Uganda at large.

The writer is Pader District Woman MP