Omoro goes to the polls tomorrow to elect a woman member of parliament and a Chairman to lead the district. Previously Acholi Times brought you a profile of the candidates for woman member of parliament. Today we bring you a profile of the men gunning to be boss of the new district.
Godfrey Oryem
Oryem is one of the two oldest aspirants in Omoro LCV race. At 62, Oryem is a new comer in politics. Before joining politics, he worked in Local Government for 15 years as district water engineer. After serving in government, Oryem worked in the NGO world in the area of water and sanitation. He worked in the Ethiopia, South Sudan, Liberia and the Caribbean among others. He is a graduate of Water Engineering from Kyambogo University. He is an old boy of Gulu High School. He sat for his Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) at Minjaa Primary School, in Lalogi Sub County in Omoro district. As an independent candidate, his pledge to the voters is to blend his international and national experience in order to achieve development. He is a calm speaker.
Stephen Odong Latek
Mr Odong is one of the two youngest politicians in the race for the Omoro LCV seat. He hails from Bobi Paidwe, also in Omoro district. He went to St Joseph College- Layibi with Douglas Peter Okello, also an aspirant in the Omoro LCV seat’s race. Odong holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Makerere University. His father, Lt Col Dwoka served in Obote’s government. He is married with one wife. He worked with Red Cross during the peak of the LRA rebels led insurgency. At 38, this is the second time he is trying his luck in Omoro’s politics. Odong lost in the 2011 Omoro Parliamentary Election when he was still a member of the Democratic Party (DP). HE later switched camp and joined the ruling NRM party. He won the NRM primaries for the Omoro LCV seat after
beating the former Gulu District LCV Vice Chairman, Isaac Ojok Newton. Odong is fiery in his speech. At one of his political rallies, he said those who will not vote for him will bring a curse to themselves. A former critic of the government, he claims that he is the right candidate for the job.
Simon Toolit Akecha
Mr Toolit is the former Member of Parliament (FDC) of Omoro County, formerly one of the three constituencies in Gulu district. In 2006, he beat Jacob Oulanyah, the current Deputy Speaker of Parliament for Omoro County MP seat. Oulanyah, a former UPC diehard lost his seat in what many attribute to his failure to convince his voters who hoped that he was going to resettle them into their respective villages after they were driven into the internally displaced persons’ camp during the peak of the LRA rebel led violence. However, Toolit has twice failed to win back the seat in the 2011 and 20016 elections which he Toolit says were marred by irregularities. But court, on two occasions exonerated Oulanyah saying Oulanyah was validly elected to represent the people of Omoro. Born in 1960, Toolit is gifted academically and he has excelled throughout his life. Right from Primary up to Makerere University where he pursued a Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration (BBA), he studied on scholarship because of his academic excellence. In March this year, Toolit claimed to have been abducted from his home in Pece in Gulu town. Three days later, his ‘captors’ released him from Wandegeya in Kampala, about 350 KMs away from where he claimed to have been abducted. Toolit claimed his political enemies engineered his abduction but he has never named them four months on. Some treated his story as a political drama. An accomplished certified accountant, Toolit once served as a Commissioner in-charge of taxation and auditing at the national tax body, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) before joining politics. Toolit, a senior member of the opposition, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) comes from Odek, also where Joseph Kony, the ICC indicted LRA rebel leader was born. He is one of the favourite to win the seat.
Robert Mugabe
Born in 1980, he got his name from the long serving Zimbabwean President Robert Joseph Mugabe. According to his family, he was born the very year President Mugabe, 92, came into power. Mugabe was born in Opidi-Lwala, a small village Ongako Sub County now in Omoro district. He went to Gulu Primary School for his primary education and later joined Premier High School, in Kampala for his Ordinary Level Certificate. He went to Gulu Central High School of Advance Level Certificate. Mugabe went to study Social Works and Social Administration (SWASA) at Uganda Christian University- Mukono. In 2011, Mugabe ran unsuccessfully against Jacob Oulanyah, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament who also doubles as Omoro County Member of Parliament. A member of People’s Progressive Party founded by Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, former minister under the ruling of NRM party, Mugabe believes that he is the best to lead Omoro. Mugabe promises to form a formidable team that will oversee development of Omoro.
Douglas Peter Okello
Mr Okello is commonly known by his village mates and beyond as Okao. Okello brags that his nickname carries political weight but he has never come forward to tell anyone why he is called Okao. He comes from a humble background from Laminodwany, a village in Lalogi Sub County. Okello was born in June 1979, to parents who are both peasant farmers. Okello is a married man with children. He went to Factory Primary School in Jinja, Gulu High School, St Joseph College- Layibi before joining Kampala International University for Bachelor Degree in Guidance & Counseling. He run in 2006 and lost to Ben Acellam, the former Gulu Vice Chairperson. His luck came in 2011 when beat four other candidates to represent the Lalogi Sub County at the District Council of Gulu before Parliament granted
Omoro a full district status. Okello was elected the District Council Speaker where he served for a one five year term. A think-tank, Action for Environment (ACODE) ranked Okello the best District Speaker in the country for three consecutive years. He retained his seat in the last election on NRM party ticket and later served as District Vice Chairperson after Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Gulu District LCV Chairperson successfully pushed his name through the District Council. He resigned his post and nominated as a candidate in the race for Omoro LCV seat. A former senior member of NRM party who served as District Chairman for the party, Okello resigned citing internal squabble and political witch-hunt. He promises Omoro voters a corruption free government that will make it a model district. He is one of the favourite to win the race.
1 Comment
I think Mr.Douglas Peter Okello is the best Candidate for Omoro LCV Administration.Why?
1.He is with a wealth of Experience from Gulu LCV Office.
2.Has humble background ,hence Love his Omoro People.
3.An Educated Guidance & Counselling Skills for the new emerging Omoro District we need that Foundation.
4.Former District Council Speaker,research of ACODE awarded him best living Acholi District Speaker
5.From Former Vice Chairperson in Gulu District LCV Office to Omoro District LCV Office is his Acholi Leadership Gift for Loyalty and Respect.
6.Campaigner for Corruption Free Government that will make Omoro a Model.This is a powerful message that no Young Acholi Politician has mentioned in his/her manifesto.
Well done! and I wish you Victory tomorrow 29/8/2016.
Your Voters chances to Win from my analysis is 60-70%.