BUKEDEA LC5 BYELECTION 

On Tuesday, Mary Akol was endorsed by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party to carry its flag in the June 14 Bukedea LC5 by-election.

Akol is the district vice-chairperson and has been serving as the interim chairperson following the death of Moses Olemukan last December.

Olemukan died of cancer.

As per law, his demise set in motion plans by the Electoral Commission to replace him via a byelection.

Also related: Bukedea LC5 chairperson Olemukan dies

The late Moses Olemukan, Bukedea district chairperson

On Tuesday, Akol was endorsed by her NRM party as the flagbearer in the forthcoming vote at a meeting of party members at St. Theresa Secondary School, Okunguro in Bukedea town council, Bukedea district.

She received the party flag from the NRM vice-chairperson, Hajji Moses Kigongo.

Akol's endorsement was an unanimous decision.

Following his death, Olemukan's daughter Loyce Akiror had declared interest in vying for the position, but a meeting last Thursday at State House convened by NRM party national chairman President Yoweri Museveni saw her give way for Akol.

“It was a peaceful process that we all arrived at without complaints," said Michael Ongole, the NRM chairman of Bukedea.

Five days after that meeting in Entebbe, NRM secretariat officials gathered in Bukedea to endorse and hand over the party flag for the upcoming by-election.

Part of the group was vice-chairperson Hajji Kigongo and Rose Namayanja, the ruling party's deputy secretary general.

Tanga Odoi (NRM electoral commission chairperson), Capt. Mike Mukula (vice-chairperson for eastern) region and Rosemary Seninde (head of mobilisation) were also present.

Earlier in the meeting, Bukedea resident district commissioner (RDC) Wilberforce Tukei handed back the flag to Odoi.

Tukei was the NRM flagbearer in the 2016 and 2021 elections, both times losing to Olemukan, who ran as an independent candidate after an unsuccessful bid at the primaries.

Olemukan passed away while serving his second term.

Following a second successive defeat in the district chairperson race, Tukei was appointed the Bukedea RDC.

A third shot at the district chairperson seat for Tukei? Nope. He decided to sit this one out.

As he handed the party flag back to the secretariat, Tukei said being the ruling party's flagbearer had been special and memorable experience for him.

Officials from the 16 sub-counties for Bukedea attended the meeting, which was convened after secretariat officials met with Emorimor Paul Sande Emolot.

According to Seninde, the paramount chief said he was willing to support any efforts aimed at achieving peace among the people of Teso region.

Seninde talked of the NRM's success in previous by-elections, except the Serere County MP one.

“We failed to win the Serere County parliamentary seat by-election because we were divided among ourselves,” she said of a vote won by independent candidate Emmanuel Omoding to replace his father, Patrick Okabe, who died in a December 19, 2022 road crash on the Mbale-Tirinyi Road.

Seninde said that this time, the party is more united for the Bukedea poll than it was back in February and that they are confident of victory.

Nomination of candidates vying for the district seat is set for June 7-8 and thereafter campaigns will follow.

Voters will then go to the polls to elect their new chairperson.