Khadi, 3 others battle Ofwono for Tororo Municipality MP seat

“The election was rigged. I have prepared myself for the national elections and also discovered the tactics of the incumbent. He will not be in position to rob me of my victory again,” he says.
Mr Okware also accuses the incumbent of doing nothing to better the welfare of ordinary people, especially the youth and women.

“The incumbent has failed to perform his duties as expected, and needs to be replaced immediately,” he says.
Another candidate, Sheikh Ibrahim Asante Ragang, who recently resigned his position as the Tororo District Khadi, has also joined the race to unseat Mr Ofwono.

Sheikh Asante’s bid has attracted public interest, with a section of voters claiming that he will make a good political leader if elected. They say Sheikh Asante, being a religious and honest person, will be instrumental in resolving raging conflict between the Jopadhola and Iteso.

Mr Deogratius Emojong (NUP) says he has moved in most parts of Tororo Municipality and found out that people are in need of change.

“If elected, I will lobby for promotion of urban farming to be practised by people living around the peri-urban belt of the town so that they can feed the population living within the central business area,” he says.

Resolving tribal tensions

“Our society is buried in tribal hatred and corruption. Sheikh Asante, being a man of God, can be a pillar in building togetherness,” Mr James Olweny, a resident, says.

Mr Olweny blames the current tribal tension in the district on what he terms as “poor set of earthly leaders” with no spiritual guidance.

On his part, Sheikh Asante says he decided to run for the seat in order to fill the existing leadership gap.
He says the past and incumbent leadership have been riding on divisionism, hate and tribalism to achieve their selfish interests.

“We now need leaders who do not thrive on politics of hate. This is the time that such purported kingmakers with selfish interests should be shown the exit,” Sheikh Asante says.

He adds that if elected, his leadership will focus on improving education standards, economic empowerment and lobbying for upgrading of the district general hospital. Tororo District has been embroiled in tribal tensions between the Iteso and Jopadhola since 1962.

The tribal tension has since escalated, with  Iteso who are the majority in Tororo County, demanding district status. 
They have on several occasions held demonstrations, with some attempting to eat rats to show their disappointment over failure to grant them district status.

A section of local leaders say the government had agreed to grant Tororo County district status but the location of Tororo Municipality remained a matter of contention as each group claimed it.

In 2018, the government sent a delegation to the UK for a colonial map to establish the actual boundary of Tororo Municipality but findings have not yet been made public.

Recently, during the NRM elections, the NRM party secretariat gazetted two voting venues in the district; one in Tororo County and another in West Budama which is predominately inhabited by Jopadhola  .

The delegates from Tororo County voted at St Peter’s College Tororo while delegates from West Budama and Tororo Municipality voted at Tororo Girls School.

Mr Amos Wafula, a resident of Agururu Village in Mukuju Sub-county, says the only way to resolve the impasse is to elect leaders who are committed to fighting divisionism.

“It is time for the people from Tororo Municipality to learn from the past and give their votes to the right leader, not just any one,” he said.

Mr Charles Olweny Mokolimbo, another candidate, who pledges to reconcile the Iteso and Jopadhola, says the conflict was created and promoted by  past leaders.

“If elected, I am going to spearhead a reconciliation between the two conflicting tribes so as to bring sanity. We cannot continue like this,” he says.
Mr Olweny accuses the incumbent MP of not doing enough to end the conflict between the two tribes.

“We cannot underrate the contributions of the incumbent legislator but he also has the largest share in fuelling the ongoing conflict between the two tribes,” he says.

Mr Olweny adds that he will also ensure that locals are considered for employment in the factories, something he said the incumbent leader has ignored.
 However, Mr Ofwono dismisses the allegations of fuelling tribal conflicts and instead boasts of being a developmental person. 
He says he lobbied for the rural electrification programme, which has covered peri-urban areas in the municipality.
Mr Ofwono also boasts of extending water to rural areas.
“People can also equally connect to town without any encumbrance despite having numerous streams that surround it, “ Mr   Ofwono says.
Mr Denison Opolot, another resident, however, says the incumbent failed to have Tororo Town elevated to city status. “The incumbent has only helped to exacerbate tribal tensions and nothing more,” he says.