Seven eye Katakwi Woman MP seat

Nov 25, 2020

The voters seek a leader who will promote unity and one who has the people at heart.

The race for the Katakwi Woman MP seat has attracted seven people, including the incumbent, Violet Akurut, as well as former education minister Jessica Alupo.

The others are Stella Rose Aguti of the Forum for Democratic Change and independent candidates Jane Frances Akiteng, Jane Ilemukorit, Clare Apuno and Jane Amodoi.

The National Resistance Movement party flag is being carried by Akurut while Alupo is an independent NRM-leaning candidate.

Akurut defeated Alupo in the NRM primaries. It was the same case in the 2016 polls, where Akurut, a former human rights commissioner, garnered 26,091 votes against Alupo's 20,720.

"Riding to Parliament to offer effective leadership to Katakwi, tuende," Alupo wrote on Facebook.

She told New Vision that her supporters asked her to contest as an independent candidate because they thought the primaries were marred with irregularities that she claims saw her victory being overturned.

Another candidate that political commentators in Teso see as a possible threat to Akurut and Alupo is Apuno, a former Uganda Revenue Authority officer who resigned from her job to join elective politics.

Apuno hails from Magoro, located in Toroma County. Her eloquence and vigour drives the expectations of Katakwi voters high. She was number three in the NRM primaries.

"I will vote NRM because it has guaranteed us security from the Karimojong who used to raid our cattle and kill our people, so NRM leaders are my choice," Scovia Araki, a voter from Katakwi, said.

Security is a key point in the manifestos of all the candidates in Katakwi district. Much as there are still some cases of cattle theft by the Karimojong in Katakwi and other districts that neighbour Karamoja, such as like Kapelebyong and Amuria, the Opposition candidates have failed to use that to woo voters to their side.

The region has been among thse that vote for NRM candidates overwhelmingly.

"We are told that voting for the Opposition will lead us into the dark days of raids and killings that forced people to live in camps. That is why Katakwi votes NRM," Loyola Apuda, a resident of Katakwi and a prominent farmer, said.

Apuda said the money factor plays a key role in the Katakwi politics, whereby the highest bidder takes it all. He added that the rivalry between Alupo and Akurut could easily create room for Appuno to snatch the MP seat away.

The rivalry between Akurut and Alupo started over a decade ago, when the two contested for the same position and Alupo kept on defeating Akurut, until 2016 when tables turned on Alupo.

Apuno argues that she is the only one who can bring unity in the area, since she is not allied to any camp.

She also argues that being Bornagain gives her an edge as far as unifying the people is concerned.

"In-fighting among the leaders can only be solved when I am a leader because I will bring them together," Apuno said, adding that once she wins, she will ensure that orphans, widows and the elderly are taken care off. It is believed that the state minister for information and communications technology, Peter Ogwang is on good terms with Akurut, and not with Alupo.

In 2015, there were efforts by President Yoweri Museveni to resolve their differences, but it did not yield much.

Several times when there are elections in Katakwi, violence is also reported. In fact, in the recently concluded primaries, one person died and scores were left with serious injuries.

The issue of the violence has angered the leadership of Iteso cultural union who are calling on the candidates in the race to restrain their supporters from violence.

"The trend of politics in Katakwi now has taken a direction which is not acceptable. People want to get elected using force and people are being beaten; it's a shame!"

Iteso cultural institution minister Sylvester Ocatum who also hails from Katakwi, said.

Ocatum, who is the minister of education in Iteso cultural institution, is concerned that continuous clashes in Katakwi could lead to permanent enmity among the locals.

Katakwi produced the first MP that served the entire Teso in the Obote regime. The late Cuthbert Obwangor, who also served as minister of justice in the same government, was from Magoro sub-county.

"The leaders who are the main actors in the politics are also ignorant of what to do. You hear them talk of military science; how can a leader speak like that?" asked Frances Akello, a former Uganda Legislative Council member in Teso.

Benson Ekuwe of the Public Affairs Centre Uganda, said the politics in Bukedea district is also punctuated with violence.

The projects that Alupo put in place in Katakwi, such as setting up the Epel Memorial Technical School, helping to revamp Usuk Secondary School and supporting other primary and secondary schools in Katakwi are the key achievements favouring her candidature.

She is also proud for being one of the key leaders who supported the construction of Soroti University, which started operating last year.

Akurut also boasted supporting some women groups with tractors she said she lobbied as an MP, supporting savings groups and buying gomesi for women.

Both candidates have the financial muscle. However, Akurut comes from the county with the highest number of voters in the district.

Ngariam County has over 31,000 voters, compared to Alupo's Usuk county, with about 17,000 votes.

Should the people of Toroma give Apuno a bloc vote, then she could be a big threat to Alupo and Akurut.

Toroma, where Apuno hails from, is the second most populated county.

What voters want

Patrick Akabwai: My village is cut off, so the leader who will promise to improve the roads is the one I will give my vote.

Raphael Ojakala: A leader of integrity, the one who unites the district and a Woman MP who has people at heart is the one I will vote.

Bena Atim: I want a leader who will promote unity. Our district is divided and some leaders don't see eye to eye.

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