Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The promises to restock Teso, revive cooperatives, improve infrastructure, uphold human rights and protect land are some of the key messages that could have earned Dr. Kizza Besigye, the opposition strongman support in Teso sub region.
Besigye who has challenged President Yoweri Museveni for the top seat in the last four consecutive elections will not be on the ballot paper on January 14th, 2021.
Since 2001, Besigye has been the top presidential candidate against President Museveni in Teso. He garnered 102,208 against Museveni’s 169,452 votes in his maiden appearance on the ballot paper from the region.
In 2006, Besigye under the Forum for Democratic Change- FDC ticket swept almost all polling stations in the region when he polled 244,716 votes, leaving Museveni with only 75,942 votes. FDC party also got eleven out of 17 slots for Members of Parliament and three out of five district chairpersons across Teso in 2006.
But President Museveni after the 2006 elections went back to the drawing board to remobilize NRM structures. He visited the region severally especially during floods where he announced allocation of UGX 22 Billion to the affected households and promised more money for agriculture through NAADS and NUSAF projects. Museveni also nodded to the creation of Teso Affairs Ministry and upgrading Soroti flying school among others after 2006 elections.
In the same term, NRM created three more districts in Teso, Bukedea, Ngora and Serere where Museveni won in all except Serere. This earned Museveni 189,721 votes against Besigye’s 175,778. In this, FDC lost three slots for MPs out of 21 slots in 2011 elections.
The ruling party after an addition of five constituencies reduced FDC MPs to three, Elijah Okupa of Kasilo County, Herbert Edmund Ariko of Soroti Municipality and Angelline Ossege, Soroti Woman MP in 2016 general elections. All the five new constituencies of Kanyum in Kumi, Dakabela in Soroti, Orungo in Amuria, Kachumbala in Bukedea and Kumi Municipality were taken by NRM cadres.
The FDC situation in the region has been made worse by the exodus of all the three party MPs who have now become independent candidates after internal conflicts following the party’s presidential elections in 2017.
As Ugandans count weeks to the next polls, our reporter sought views from residents in Soroti and Serere districts where Besigye scored highly in 2016 general elections. Except for Kampala and Wakiso that maintained the lead in voting for Dr. Kizza Besigye, Soroti became third with Besigye scoring 56 percent of the total votes cast.
In Kamuda Primary School in Kamuda sub county, Besigye garnered 531 votes, leaving President Museveni with 84 while in Agama Church of Uganda in the same sub county, Besigye got 517 as Museveni picked only 66 votes.
Some of the voters in the area told our reporter that their resolve for supporting FDC has grown stronger after Patrick Amuriat Oboi joined the presidential race.
Christine Akiror, a resident of Awacha in Kamuda sub county says that FDC will continue to win in her village and the district because it’s the only hope for economic empowerment in Teso.
Isaac Emiku, another resident in Obule- Asuret sub county says that Besigye opened the eyes of many people in Teso to the injustice and discrimination in the region. According to Emiku, much as the ruling party has put in an effort to woo the electorate, they will be surprised by the vote tally. He shares the same views with Calvin Okalebo, another resident from Awacha village.
Caroline Akello, a resident of Kamod in Serere says FDC remains very popular in the region and Amuriat’s entrance makes it stronger. Akello indicated that the FDC effect might cost some of the FDC MPs, now running on independent tickets. She shares her views with James Ongele, another resident in Kamod.
While campaigning in the region, Amuriat said that 2021 elections in Teso are going to have “the POA wave”, indicating that many voters will consider him as son of the soil.
But Mike Mukula, the NRM vice chairman for Eastern Uganda says that Amuriat’s presence in the ballot paper as presidential candidate in 2021 won’t have any effect on NRM support in the region. Mukula noted that FDC rallied support in Teso on “lies” which his party has managed to counter with facts.
Amuriat is the first man from Teso sub region to compete for Uganda’s presidency. He replaces Dr. Kizza Besigye who has enjoyed relatively large support from voters in the region.
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