Many opposition members are being held in prisons on grounds of ‘wrongfully assembly
Many opposition members are being held in prisons on grounds of ‘wrongfully assembly
Peoples Development Party president Dr Abed Bwanika has called upon Ugandans to voice concern against the ill treatment of opposition politicians.
Mr. Bwanika, who was addressing the press in Kampala, urged politicians, religious leaders and other stakeholders to push for measures aimed at having a better country.
“Come and discuss the political situation in the country. Dialogue should be used, don’t keep quiet,’ he said.
Bwanika’s remarks come at a time when many opposition members are being held in prisons on grounds of ‘wrongfully assembly’ and he warned that if the habit of arresting those opposed to government continues, then the country will slide back into the 1985 chaos. “When doors of dialogue are closed, the doors of violence are opened,” he said adding: “We paid a huge price to liberate this country; we don’t want to go back to those bad days.”
He cautioned police not to misinterpret the phrase ‘regulation’ arguing that the Public Order Management Act, does not bar meetings. Bwanika further condemned the way in which former Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) president Dr. Kizza Besigye and former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi were held today saying that every political leader must have access to the electorate.
“ The people of Uganda are not owned by anyone, they are not Museveni’s property,” Dr. Bwanika stressed.
He called upon the diplomatic circles to come out and rescue the country by condemning the way government treats those in opposition. “You need to engage the president; this is not the time for you to support him (Museveni),” he added.
The PDP will host its Delegates Conference in Masaka on 23 July. Dr. Abed Bwanika will also unveil his manifesto for next year’s elections.
BET Award-winning superstar Eddie Kenzo has been unveiled as the new Airtel ambassador.
Airtel Uganda Managing Director Mr Tom Gutjahr unveiled Kenzo at a press briefing held in Kampala saying the company chose latest Ugandan sensation because of what he stands for and the journey he has taken.
“He’s an example that anyone can be what he/she wants in this world,” he said.
In his address Kenzo, thanked his fans and Airtel for the support rendered to him and promised to help in changing lives in partnership with Airtel. “I want people to realize they can make their dreams come true, the time is now,” urged Kenzo.
Eddie Kenzo beat five candidates to the BET Award and since his return on Tuesday; many corporate companies have been in talks with him for his signature.
Mutebile was appointed the central bank governor because of his expertise in handling financial problems.
The Governor Bank of Uganda (BOU) has been criticized by Peoples Development Party (PDP) President Dr. Abed Bwanika for comments he recently made that he wouldn’t rescue the falling shilling.
Mr. Bwanika, who made these remarks while meeting with journalists in Kampala, said Mutebile was appointed the central bank governor because of his expertise in handling financial problems. “If he (Mutebile) is not willing to save the shilling then he must give the responsibility to someone who can,” Bwanika said.
He noted that the government has 4bn shillings in reserves and advised BOU to use some of that money to save the economy.
“This is time for reserves to help, if they can’t be used then they have no use,” he said, before attacking Parliament for failure to regulate the economy and to compel the BOU boss to execute his duties diligently. “It’s is your mandate to make sure that Mutebile performs,” noted Bwanika said and added: “Investors come here with nothing and leave our country carrying loads of money, that’s is not good.”
He warned that if the current situation goes on for the next three to four months, the country’s economy would be like that of Mobutu’s Zaire and Mugabe’s Zimbabwe.
Bwanika also warned Ugandans to cut on their expenses, saying the economy was collapsing. “Don’t spend like the economy is okay, wages are not increasing but inflation is up,” he warned adding: “ don’t spend so much because these are bad times.”
The Democratic Alliance, a loose coalition of opposition parties, politicians and civil society organizations has condemned the arrest of former Forum for Democratic Change president Dr Kizza Besigye, erstwhile Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and other opposition members.
Mbabazi was arrested at the Jinja Bridge while on his way to Mbale, where he was to hold consultative meetings with his supporters about his presidential aspirations. He was whisked off to Kiira Police Station where he is being held. Dr. Kizza Besigye was arrested in Kasansgati as he attempted to leave his home and is being held at Nagalama Police Station in Mukono District. Also being held are FDC’s Secretary for Mobilization Ingrid Turinawe, Amama Mbabazi’s daughter Rachel, who is at Lugazi Police Station and Ahmed Washaki, a supporter of Mbabazi from Bungokho, Mbale District among others.
In a statement read by the TDA chairman for campaign strategy and coordination Mr Asuman Basalirwa, the group condemned the arrests, saying the police had acted unprofessionally.
Mr Basalairwa said both Mbabazi and Besigye had not committed any crime by aspiring for the presidency.
Quoting from the Presidential Elections Act, he noted that a presidential aspirant is not supposed to ask for permission from the Electoral Commission but rather is only required to write to inform the Commission about his or her aspirations. “The Electoral Commission can only write back in receipt of the letter but not asking a candidate to harmonize with his or her party,” Basalirwa, a lawyer, said while addressing journalists at the Eureka Place, in the Ntinda suburb, on the outskirts of Kampala.
“It is not the first time that Dr. Kizza Besigye is being arrested for no crime committed and if the regime in power pushes us to the walls we will be left with no solution but to call upon Ugandans to rise and fight against injustices that the regime is inflicting on us,” he said.
Basalirwa also explained that the activities of the The Democratic Alliance are concomitant with the agitation for electoral reforms.
“TDA is to give impetus for electoral reforms and as we prepare for the elections (even future ones) we must be on the path of electoral reforms,” he noted.
He also wondered why police was accusing Mr Mbabazi for not ‘harmonizing’ with his party but went ahead and arrested Dr Besigye who has harmonized his position with his party, the FDC.
Also in attendance were TDA stalwarts: former UPC President Olara Otunnu, Conservative Party chairman John Ken Lukyamuzi, former Vice President Gilbert Bukenya, civil society activist Godbar Tumushabe, and former Buganda Katikiro Joseph Mulwanyamuli Ssemogerere among others.
In his speech former vice president Gilbert Bukenya said that President Museveni’s government is in a state of collapse and that why they are panicking.
Giving an example of the events in Mbale yesterday, Prof Bukenya wondered why President Museveni and other NRM politicians go around campaigning but turn around and block opposition politicians from holding peaceful assemblies and demonsrations.
“If they think we are not politically strong then why are we not allowed to talk to the people and why do they beat our supporters like the police and army did when I went to Masaka recently?” He asked.
John Ken Lukyamauzi, said government had dilly-dallied with the issue of electoral reforms, adding that government was hell bent on holding unfair elections.
“I will raise a motion on the floor of Parliament to have the issue of electoral reforms resolved once and for all,” he promised, adding that there were several colleagues who shared the idea of having electoral reforms in the country.
Teen Challenge is the brainchild of American Rev. David Ray Wilkerson, an Evangelist who believed in the use of ministry to reach out to drug abusers and gang members
Teen Challenge is the brainchild of American Rev. David Ray Wilkerson, an Evangelist who believed in the use of ministry to reach out to drug abusers and gang members
There is something unique about the two rehabilitation centres run by Teen Challenge Uganda: Kigoowa in Ntinda, Kampala and the other centre in Gulu use spiritual intervention to treat individuals with addiction problems.
Teen Challenge, which has been operating in Uganda for five years now, also looks out for particular needy individuals in different communities or neighborhoods in Uganda. Of course there are a number of organizations that carry out almost similar activities like Teen Challenge such as Serenity Center or even the more well-known Butabika Hospital, but the difference lies in the fact that Teen Challenge does not believe in the administration of drugs or medication to support the recuperation of individuals with illnesses or addictions, instead they believe in the use of spirituality, particularly Christianity, in the treatment of individuals.
Teen Challenge is the brainchild of American Rev. David Ray Wilkerson, an Evangelist who believed in the use of ministry to reach out to drug abusers and gang members, leading to the formation of a unique bible-based recovery program for addicts and delinquents.
Wilkerson, who passed on 1n 2011 aged 80, was the founder of the ‘non-denominational’ Times Square Church in New York and was also known for his bestselling book ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’.
Mr. Ivan Mpiira, the Men’s Director at Teen Challenge Uganda is responsible for the welfare of all male in-patients at the rehabilitation center and sheds a little more light on the process of recovery of individuals who are in need of rehabilitation. He emphasises the need for the patient to accept that they have a problem and are in need of help or assistance; it is at this point that the rehabilitation process begins, with those taken on paying a minimum fee of shs350, 000 a month for the rehabilitation period that runs for one year.
According to Mr Mpiira, a number of activities are involved in the rehabilitation process among them equipping the patients with life skills like computer use, tailoring and how to make liquid soap.
“These activities help to keep them busy; they help re-develop their mind of thinking…alternative to being idle which will without a doubt make the patient relapse since these drugs were a pastime before they became addicts,” explains Mr Mpiira.
Mr Mpiira, himself no stranger to addiction says: “I too reached a point in my life where I was devastated, heartbroken, frustrated this led me to addiction…I was labeled worthless, this was because of my actions; however when I came to Teen Challenge they changed my life because they saw my value and showed me love.”
Asked why at Teen Challenge the use of medication is not encouraged, he said Christianity and spirituality allow and individuals to think differently and thus act accordingly.
At Teen Challenge, he said, they believe that Christian-oriented transformation begins with rejuvenation of the mind, with love as the pivot aspect. “A mistake does not eliminate potential but just merely covers it. We focus on showing these patients their true value and thus giving them self-worth through love” says Mr Mpiira.
In fact Teen Challenge also carries out ‘aftercare’, where the organization stays in touch with the transformed patient since they believe that they are family. And in some instances the organization also retains some individuals like Mr Mpiira, in the hope that they can impact others facing addiction problems. “Here we aim at reforming a person as well as creating a generation that will impact others” he says.
Ben Paul Mugyereza, a parent of one of the patients at Teen Challenge says his son has started changing his way of thinking and has begun managing his life.
“He’s started seeing a life of thinking; he is now looking at the future and wants to also impact someone’s life and help someone overcome a problem,” Mr Mungyereza says of his son Rodney Aijuka.
And Aijuka is positive, admitting that since he joined Teen Challenge in February his life has changed.
“I used to be a drunk and also got involved in drugs, but ever since I came to this place my life has changed; I can say now I have experienced real life, unlike before where I was intoxicated and my mind elsewhere,” says Aijuka, who completes his rehabilitation course next year in February and plans to join Ministry right after.
Teen Challenge also recently started up a similar centre for women in Kulambiro, Ntinda of Nakawa Division that has been running for one year.
Teen Challenge, an organization that also opens its doors for the destitute after assessing their moral aptitude, depends on donations from several organizations, selling clothes and the fees paid by the in-patients.
Meanwhile, the organization is currently organizing a charity walk in Gulu to bring attention to their activities in northern Uganda and also to raise funds to open up another home in the area.
There will also be a fundraising dinner dubbed ‘Dine For Gulu” on October 24, with a ticket selling at shs100, 000, and the proceeds channeled into building a men’s home in Gulu. For more information about Teen Challenge and what they are all about you can visit their website at teenchallenge-uganda.org.
The Anti-Corruption Coalition of Uganda has come out and openly advocated for our Members of Parliament to be paid according to their output. This demand is long overdue! The cardinal responsibilities of any parliamentarian are to legislate, make laws and play an oversight role over the Executive. Instead, it is said our legislators spend most of their time attending funerals, weddings, church fundraisers and some other local functions, in a bid to ‘please’ their constituents, with the hope of being re-elected in the future.
Those activities are neither illegal nor immoral but are a betrayal of the same people who entrusted the MPs with the responsibility of ensuring a fair and just society in which constitutionalism flourishes.
The issue of absenteeism from the House has attracted several people’s attention, among Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and her Deputy Jacob Oulanyah, the deputy Leader of Government Business General Moses Ali, and the Inspector General of Government Lady Justice Irene Mulygonja, both of who have described the MPs’ actions as ‘corrupt’.
Some time back Speaker Kadaga was berating then Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi for paralyzing work in the august house by failing to bring Government bills on the floor of Parliament for debate. She seemed honest in her submission.
But today, about a year since Mbabazi was relieved of his station as leader of government business, the situation in Parliament still seems bleak, with most of the MPs turning villain by absenting themselves and only turning up in the Banks to get their full pay. So recalcitrant have they become that it is not surprising anymore for one to see several empty benches, a situation that has at times prompted the Speaker to adjourn proceedings, causing a logjam that affects government programmes and service delivery. Moreover, in the worst case scenario, there have also been complaints about Parliament reportedly passing laws without quorum, a serious breach of parliamentary procedure and etiquette!
So, since most MPs seem to have abdicated their responsibilities, it is time they are paid by the hour earned, only then will we be able to instill that moral fibre of responsibility that seems to be absent in our parliamentarians.
Thanks ACCU for raising this serious matter of national importance.
The migration of health workers from East Africa presents a critical challenge to the provision of healthcare and is a growing concern that urgently needs to be addressed.
Dr James Mwanzia, Chief of Party Funzo Kenya, IntraHealth (USAID), said East African countries need to address the issue of migration of health workers.
“In order to achieve Universal Health Coverage, we must ensure an adequate workforce in terms of their availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. We must, therefore, seriously address the issue of migration of health workers,” Dr Mwanzia noted.
He revealed that the current retention rate of healthcare workers in East Africa is less than the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations and that remedial measures need to be adopted.
“Certain retention strategies can be put in place to address the loss of medical talent such as scaling up the training of nurses and clinical officers, continually investing in staff recognition and motivation, improving human resources management policies, practices, governance, using salary survey results and recommendations to review their structures, staff motivation, retention, and teamwork, and institutionalizing staff exit feedback and acting on issues,” says Dr Mwanzia, ahead of the Healthcare Management Conference at Medic East Africa, slated forSeptember 1-3.
r Ottunu had alleged that the Lira Municipality legislator is a Museveni puppet and is being used by the president
r Ottunu had alleged that the Lira Municipality legislator is a Museveni puppet and is being used by the president
Newly-elected Uganda Peoples Congress president Jimmy Akena has denied allegations levied against him by his predecessor Olara Otunnu that he is a puppet to the ruling National Resistance Movement party.
The on-going bare-knuckled supremacy fight between Mr Otunnu and Mr Akena has reached a heady point and addressing journalists at the party headquarters July 8, Mr Akena reiterated his unreserved commitment to UPC.
“I am UPC and have not been in any other party in my life,” Mr Akena said and added: “so I think Mr Otunnu is wrong; I have given my all to this party and I won’t allow anyone to sabotage these works.”
A day earlier Mr Ottunu had alleged that the Lira Municipality legislator is a Museveni puppet and is being used by the president to forcefully take over UPC, in the interests of the ruling party.
“Akena’s activities are attempts of taking UPC by force and impunity on behalf of Yoweri Museveni,” Mr Otunnu said On July 7.
However, Mr Akena rubbished this talk and said it is an attempt by the former UPC president to divert attention from the funds he is supposed to account for.
“Over 100 million was withdrawn from the UPC accounts and have not been accounted for, so Mr.Otunnu is trying to divert attention from this scrutiny because as a party president
Museveni supporters matching in Mbale earlier today.
Museveni supporters matching in Mbale earlier today.
Mbale; Three supporters of presidential aspirant Amama Mbabazi have been arrested in Mbale as he plans to visit the district on Thursday to start his national consultations ahead of 2016 elections.
Sources in Mbale say Mahamoud Masaba, the NRM Mbale district treasurer who is also the chairman of Mbabazi support group in the district, Mr Ahmed Washaki, the Chairman LCIII Bungokho sub-county and one Wepuhuku, the ruling party delegate for Bulambuli were arrested on Wednesday.
They are being held at the Resident District Commissioner offices in Mbale. Mr Washaki is also the chairman publicity of Mbabazi support group eastern Uganda. Washaki reportedly held a meeting with Hope Mwesigye, the former agriculture minister and a relative of Mbabazi’s wife in Kampala on Tuesday.
Gen Ali has represented Moyo East in Parliament for several years and Museveni has always heavily relied on him to strengthen the Movement in West Nile.
In the third part of our series detailing the men and women who have been instrumental in Museveni’s campaigns and eventual election victories in 1996 and 2001, today Eagleonline brings you the ‘king makers’ from the Busoga and Bukediregioions, writes Steven Mandu.
Karamoja
David Pulkol
David Pulkol, who is from Matheniko clan in Moroto in the Karamoja sub-region, started working for the National Resistance Movement government at a young age; he was first appointed to the position of Deputy Minister for Water and Minerals in 1987, aged 26.
In 1991, he was made the State Minister for Education, serving until 1994. Later, he became the Minister in charge of Karamoja Affairs, between 1994 and 1995.He initially stood for his Matheniko county seat in the then parliament in 1991 and was re-elected in 1996. Later, he resigned on being appointed Director General of the External Security Organisation (ESO), from 1996-1998.
After his stint at ESO, Mr Pulkol was based in Nairobi as deputy director of Unicef in charge of East and Southern Africa, from 1999 to 2000.But after his two-year stint at Unicef, he returned to Uganda, ran for parliament and lost to Samuel Abura Pirir in 2001.He bounced back at ESO for a second stint from 2001-2003.
Although he later fell out with Museveni, he was very important in soliciting support for Museveni in Karamoja.
Peter Lokeris
In 1996, he joined politics, contesting and winning the parliamentary seat of Chekwii County in Nakapirit District. During that same year, he was appointed State Minister for Karamoja, a post he held till January 2005. In 2006, he was re-elected was appointed Minister of State for Primary Education, and was later moved to Minerals, a position he still holds today. Like Pulkol, his role was very significant in delivering results for Museveni in Karamoja.
Teso
Christine Hellen Amongin Aporu
Christine Hellen Amongin Aporu began her career as a primary school teacher from 1980 to 1984.Following her graduation at ITEK in 1986, she became a tutor at a teacher training college, until 1996 when she was first elected to represent Kumi District in 1996. Between 2001 and 2006, she served as a State Minister. Following the national election she was appointed Minister of State for Teso Affairs. As a teacher she was instrumental in leading the Museveni campaign especially in 2001 when Museveni was faced with a lot opposition in the region.
Her husband, Dr George Edward Aporu Okol was once a Deputy Minister of Animal Industry and Fisheries and also a staunch NRM cadre who was instrumental in pacifying the Teso region after war broke out there in 1986.
Flight Captain Mike Mukula
The National Resistance Movement Vice Chairman for Eastern Uganda, Capt Mike Mukula first became close to the Museveni government when he piloted the President in the late 1980s. He joined politics in 1996, when he successfully contested for the Soroti Municipality parliamentary seat. He lost the municipality seat in 2006 only to make a comeback in 2011.
In 2001, he was appointed State Minister for Health, serving in that position until 2006. He was later imprisoned on allegations of corruption related to the Global Fund, but was acquitted. Despite that set back Mukula has always played a big role in mobilizing the Ateso to vote for Museveni especially in 2001 when FDC had proved to be deep rooted in the region. Through the Arrow Boys Mukula also played a big role in neutralising the advances of the Lords Resistance Army into the Teso region.
Musa Ecweru
He once served as the Deputy Resident Commissioner (DRDC) between 1993 and 1998 in Soroti and Lira districts, before being promoted to full RDC and transferred to Nebbi District, serving there until 2000. He was transferred to Gulu Distrcit as RDC in 2000, Kasese District from 2002 until 2004 and Soroti District between 2004 and 2006.
In 2003, he also served as Chief of the Arrow Auxiliary Force, a militia established to counter the excesses of Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2006, he successfully contested for the parliamentary seat of Amuria County in Amuria District and he was appointed State Minister for Disaster Preparedness. He was re-elected in March 2011and also retained his post as Minister. He has been very vital in the struggle to capture votes in the Teso region for President Museveni.
Joseph Ekemu
A lawyer, Joseph Ekemu is a former Member of Parliament for Kaberamaido, a seat he lost in 2001 when he was convicted and imprisoned for two years for forgery and theft. The time when Teso region was predominantly a no go area for Museveni the likes of Ekemu played a leading role campaigning for Museveni.
Steven Ileum Korit
The man from Katakwi has always played a very instrumental part when it comes to elections in his home district. He is one of those responsible for the support that Museveni enjoys in Katakwi t.
Tom Omongole
Tom Omongole hails from Ngora District and his role in the 1996 and 2001 Museveni taskforce has always been mobilizing the people of his District against the Opposition. Museveni’s votes in Ngora are highly attributed to him.
Grace Akello
Grace Akullo hails from Katakwi District and currently is Uganda’s ambassador to Rome. She was among the first women in Teso to support the Museveni government and has persistently encouraged fellow women to support Museveni and the NRM government.
Haji Umar Okodel (RIP)
Umar Okodel was the influential LCV Chairman of Kumi district and was crucial in spreading the gospel of the NRM in his district. He has since passed on.
Lango
Cosmas Adyebo (RIP)
The highest ranking Lango politician since the National Resistance Movement took power in 1986, George Cosmas Adyebo was a politician and economist who was Uganda’s Prime Minister from 1991 to 1994. A staunch UPC-turned NRM supporter, Adyebo was one of the people that were at the forefront marketing President Museveni northern Uganda. He died in 2010.
Jovino Akaki
He served as Minister for Lands, Housing and Urban Development and was an important figure in mobilizing support for Museveni in the Lango region during the early days of the NRM.
Sam Engola
An astute businessman with interests the hotel and tourism industry, Engola is well known in the Lango region. He is the MP for Erute County South, current State Minister for Housing and enjoys good relations with the President. He is also a member of the National Executive Committee of National Resistance Movement. He normally accompanies the President to political rallies during campaigns in Northern Uganda.
Felix Okot Ogong
The Dokolo County Member of Parliament, Felix Okot Ogong hails from Abei village in Kwera sub-county, Dokolo District and his claim to political fame was in 1996 when he defeated his uncle Levi Okodi Macpio to join Parliament at the tender age of 31, making him one of youngest MPs in the sixth parliament. In 2001 he was appointed State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and later served as State Minister for Youth and Children Affairs. He was instrumental in canvassing for votes for the NRM but in 2006, Okot Ogong announced he was standing for the presidency under the NRM, in effect challenging Museveni for the party ticket. He, however, did not pull through with his ‘threats’.
Acholi Region
Walter Ochora (RIP)
For many who were of age and politically active in 1985, the name Walter Ochola reminds them of the ‘one day president’ of Uganda. For starters, he announced the overthrow of Apollo Milton Obote on July 27, 1985 on then Radio Uganda. On that day Ochora, then a Lieutenant in the Uganda national liberation Army (UNLA) held forte for his tribesmen General Tito Okello Lutwa and Lieutenant General Bazilio Olara Okello, until the duo showed up to claim the reins of power a day later. He was a staunch supporter of the NRM in Acholi and the longest serving LC V Chairman of Gulu district until he was defeated by FDC’s Martin Ojara Mapenduzi. He was then appointed by President Museveni as the Resident District Commissioner of the same district, a position he held up to his death in 2011. A retired Colonel of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, Ochora was among the few NRM cadres in northern Uganda and played a big role in ensuring Museveni gains ground in Acholi.
Betty Bigombe
Betty Bigombe Oyella was MP from 1986 until 1996, and during that time also she served as State Minister for Northern Uganda. She led the first government team which was tasked with convincing the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) rebels to lay down their arms, initiating contact with the LRA leader Joseph Kony in June 1993, but her efforts were in vain.
In 2006 she left government service and got a job with the US Institute of Peace in Washington, DC. She was to bounce back in local politics when she won the parliamentary seat of Amuru District Women’s Constituency and was appointed State Minister for Water. In 2014 she resigned from Cabinet and took up a job with the World Bank in Washington DC. A recipient of several international peace awards, Bigombe was influential in Museveni’s electoral and peace campaigns.
Henry Okello Oryem
A son of former president General Tito Okello Lutwa, Okello Oryem fled Uganda to the United Kingdom at the ouster of his father in 1986. While there he completed his Law degree and practiced as a legal executive between 1988 and 2000. He returned to Uganda and in 2001 was elected to represent Chwa County, Kitgum District, in the Ugandan Parliament. He has served as state minister in the ministries of education and foreign affairs , and was a member of the Government Delegation to the Juba Peace Talks between the Ugandan Government and representatives of the LRA. In 2011 he bounced back as MP after defeating Uganda People’s Congress stalwart Okello Okello.
As a member of the NRM, he has since consolidated his political space and is a force to reckon with in the greater Acholi sub region.
Alfred Omony ogaba
The current Resident District Commissioner of Lamwo district, Alfred Omony Ogaba is one of the first people from Northern Uganda to have supported the NRM government. At one time he served as the Sate Minister of Education and Sports, something that could have been a reward for his campaigns for the NRM in Acholi.
Betty Akech
Betty Akech was among the few people from Acholi who supported the Movement government at a time when most of the politicians from the region were rooting for UPC. She deputized the late James Wapakhabulo in the Constituent Assembly. Shealso played a remarkable figure in canvassing support for President Museveni.
Grace Betty Akello Akech
Better known as Betty Akech, she has served in Museveni’s government as Minister for security, and a diplomat accredited to Japan and later the Sudan. Her role in mobilizing support for the NRM and Presidentt Museveni can never be underestimated. She played a leading role in the 1996 and 2001 campaigns and was among the people that accompanied the President to rallies in Acholi.
Beatrice Lagada
An education administrator, Beatrice Amongi Lagada worked as Inspector of schools and also as headmistress of St. Katherine’s School before joining politics. She later served as a member of the National Resistance Council, Constituency Assembly Delegate for Apac and a Resident District Commissioner for Mbarara.
She also served as the deputy director for gender at the NRM secretariat from 1997 to 2005. In 2006 she joined the 8th Parliament as women representative for Oyam District.
A woman rights activist, Hon Lagada was Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Labour & Social Development. She is actively involved in fighting for women’s rights and she steered the FGM bill in Parliament and which was a success resulting in a law against FGM.
Ms Lagada is strong promoter of education especially the disadvantaged girl child, and this has given her the influence to easily reach out to the people to solicit support for the President.
West Nile
Moses Ali
General Moses Ali is a veteran and has seen it all; first as a minister in dictator Iddi Amin’s regime and then as Deputy Prime Minister in the NRM government. After the fall of Amin, Gen Ali fled to exile in the Sudan and, under the Uganda National Rescue Front (UNRF1), launched a guerrilla war against the government of President Apollo Milton Obote When Museveni ousted the Okello junta in which he temporarily served, Gen Ali was absorbed into the NRM government and appointed a minister.
A lawyer, Gen Ali has represented Moyo East in Parliament for several years and Museveni has always heavily relied on him to strengthen the Movement in West Nile.
Catherine Akumu Mavengina
Catherine Mavengina was one of the Museveni loyalists from the West Nile and one time served as State Minister for Public Service in the NRM government. She was one of the leading figures in looking for votes for the President in the Nebbi region.
Francis Ayume (RIP)
Francis Ayume held several influential posts in the Museveni government, rising to become the second Speaker of Parliament, after the demise of James Wapakhabulo. He also served as Minister of State in the President’s Office and Attorney General.
He was very instrumental in consolidating NRM support in Arua and mobilizing for the President.
Zoe Bakoko Bakoru
Zoe Bakoko Bakoru joined national politics as Woman Member of Parliament for Ayivu county in Arua.
She was also appointed Cabinet Minister in charge of Gender Labour and Social Development, but was later to flee the country after she was linked to financial impropriety in the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). But before that she became very influential in West Nile and worked hard to ensure Museveni gets victory in both 1996 and 2001 elections.
Dr Eric Adriko
Dr. Eric Adriko is an academic and politician who once served as 2nd Deputy Prime Minister in Museveni’s government. With his educational background, and strong financial muscle he played a leading role in canvassing votes for Museveni in both elections of 1996 and 2001 in West Nile.
Patrick Okumu Ringa
Patrick Okumu Ringa joined politics in 2001 when he was elected Member of Parliament representing Padyere County. President Museveni appointed him State Minister for Public Service. Before joining politics, Okumu Ringa was a prominent car dealer and majority shareholder in Afro Motors, a company that imported Peugeot models. This made him a powerful figure in the region thus he comfortably campaigned for Museveni given his financial influence.
