NRM Agago leaders want creation of Kalongo district

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National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leadership in Agago district, especially those in Agago North County, where Kalongo town council is situated, are demanding that the Ministry of Local Government grant Kalongo district status.

They re-echoed their demand for the creation of this new administrative unit over the weekend during thanksgiving prayers of Agago woman MP Beatrice Akello Akori, who is a state minister for economic development and monitoring in the Office of the President.

Elijah Olaa, the Kalongo town council LCIII chairperson, said they have sat as a Kalongo town council and passed the resolution urging the government to elevate Kalongo to district status.

Agago woman MP Beatrice Akello Akori intearcting with security officials during her thanksgiving prayers. (Photo by Christopher Nyeko)

He noted that if the new administrative unit is created, it will boost service delivery and create jobs for more local people.

Stanley Odong, the secretary for work and technical services in Agago, who represented the LC5 at the function, said the creation of Kalongo district must be pushed politically as an appreciation to the people of Agago, who voted for NRM in 2021 massively.

Amos John Okot, the Agago North County legislator, stated that despite the Ministry of Local Government having suspended the creation of the new administrative units, the ball is still in the President's court.

He pleaded with disaster preparedness state minister Hillary Onek, one of the senior ministers from Acholi, and Akori to raise this matter with the president to consider their request.

Agago district was carved out from the Pader district on July 1, 2010. It currently has three constituencies, including Agago County, Agago West, and North County. The district has 26 sub-counties and 117 parishes.

Since its creation, Agago district leadership has been dominated by opposition politicians, predominantly those from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

However, in the 2021 general election, the districts witnessed a shift in political leadership where all the parliamentary seats and local government positions were taken by the NRM candidates, while the local leaders' positions were dominated by the NRM.