SOROTI – The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) are the two parties locking horns towards the final campaigns in Soroti East constituency campaigns.
The NRM and FDC will go head to head in final campaigns ahead of this Thursday’s [28 July] election for Soroti East Member of Parliament (MP) by-election.
The 28 February election will fill the vacant position of Member of Parliament left after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of FDC’s Moses Attan urging that the election of Attan was conducted in non-existent wards of Aloet and Opiyai in Soroti City
There is fanfare in town from both sides, and sound vans are making endless runs evoking wild chants and sloganeering and there is also a lot of dancing as the Iteso now adapt to ‘Kadodi’ the Kigisu traditional dance now turned into a campaign crowd puller.
On Monday the opposition strongman Dr.Kizza Besigye paralysed business in Soroti as he campaigned for the party flagbearer, Mr Moses Attan.
“Museveni and his people are panicking, the people of Teso have suffered for all these decades, the whole country has been destroyed by the forty years of NRM, you can’t say people are suffering because of Covid and the war in Russia, the hunger in Uganda also came up because of the misrule in Uganda, we don’t have any reserve of oil and food in Uganda,” Mr Besigye said as the crowd applauded him.
He described the new government program of the parish model as a hoax to play with the brains of the people saying all the money government has sent to the parish will never kick out poverty as a lot is taken and little is brought back.
He urged the people of Teso to stand up and say no as NRM is killing the country including the education system.
“Vote for Attan come Thursday, we know they are going to cheat even if we are many, mobilize everybody to go to the station early to vote, receive their money as those are your taxes, we must be vigilant because of the cheating, we must guard the tally center and the votes until they announce that Attan has won, we are saying this budget should change, after elections, we shall tell you what follows,” said Mr Besigye.
He told the people of Teso that he eats cassava and asked the people of Teso to uproot for him cassava to eat in the remaining days.
Museveni joins campaigns
The ruling NRM party campaigns were yesterday also rejuvenated by the arrival of the party national chairman, also of Uganda Mr Museveni who also campaigned for Herbert Ariko.
Mr Museveni told the people of Teso how NRM managed to overcome numerous challenges that included among others floods, locusts and recently the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world but because of the correct policies and measures taken by NRM, the number of deaths was significantly reduced compared to the developed countries.
The President also urged Ugandans to take advantage of the Parish Development Model (PDM) now being rolled out, describing the program as a rescue formula.
He urged the electorate in Soroti City East Constituency to support the NRM flag bearer, Mr Ariko, as he is standing for NRM that is doing much for the country in various sectors like infrastructure.
The NRM top officials led by Vice President Jessica Alupo, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Gen Jeje Odongo also asked the people to vote for the NRM party flag bearer Mr Ariko.
The UPC part flag bearer Mr Pascal Amuriat asked the people of Soroti City East constituency to vote for him since he is the only neutral candidate without any camp.
“Since I have no issues, I am the only person who will unite the people of Soroti City. In my first year I will lobby the government for a seed secondary school and improve the health of my people by building a hospital,” said Mr Amuriat.
Although there are three candidates representing different parties, FDC’s Attan and NRM’s Ariko seem to be the only ones having big support and in the talk of Soroti City, this means that this race might be a two race election.
The Soroti City East Bye-election is scheduled for 28th July, 2022 with the race that many have described as likely to be a two horse race between FDC’s Moses Okia Attan and NRM’s Ariko.
