Wadri expects landslide victory again in Terego County

Terego County MP Kassiano Wadri addresses his voters in Aripea playground during a thanksgiving ceremony.

What you need to know:

Terego County in 2016 will be a combination of Kassiano Wadri, who believes his position in the constituency cannot be shaken, new faces, and old faces that seem not to give up, despite losing to Wadri in previous election battles.

ARUA

A difficult question voters in Terego must answer is whether they should give the incumbent MP Kassiano Wadri Ezati another term or vote in a fresh face?
Equally interesting are the subsidiary questions whose answers would probably suggest greater concern on why people voted the way they did or what are the implications of the results are. These questions are not always easily answered in Terego.

Mr Wadri is brimming with self-confidence two years away from election night. “Even if elections are organised today, with or without my posters or campaigns, as long as my name is on the ballot paper, I am ready for my opponents,” he told Saturday Monitor during an interview recently.

Mr Wadri, a charismatic leader, has built formidable electoral machinery through the Forum for Democratic Change grassroots support in Terego that easily outguns the ruling National Resistance Movement. Adding to his existing advantages are a compliant electorate, wide support from religious institutions, schools and health centres that would be happy to ‘pay back’ for the good he has done for them.

In Terego, voting behaviour is fairly enlightened. People’s choice depends on how well a candidate articulates public policy issues, evaluates government performance and individual candidate characteristics.

The word on the street or village paths of Terego is that Mr Wadri could have another term in office. The bunch of votes that have made it possible for him to occupy this seat three terms seems unshaken. His star shone bright for his credible performance as chair of the House Public Accounts Committee where he asked searching questions of government officials suspected of corruption.

It seems neither the money nor effort of NRM diehards such as Mario Obiga Kania, who petitioned his 2011 election victory, will not be enough to cause a change of personnel.
Going into 2016, it would be great for aspiring candidates to know that voters also value party identification and ideology. Not many voters change their party affiliation midstream in this part of the country.
In the meantime, Mr Wadri is also keeping an eye on development.

“My role is not to construct roads and bridges, bring water or construct schools. I am there to effectively represent my people. But if a road in my constituency is to be tarmacked, they will look at the viability and economic opportunities that emerge there like the Vurra-Arua-Koboko road under construction is because of huge economic opportunities in South Sudan,” he said.

Seeing them by their works, not bribes
“I have bursary schemes for bright and needy students, I do fundraising in schools, churches, mosques and these may not be my roles. But I feel supporting developmental activities is not bad for a politician,” he said.

Mr Kania who has been the face of NRM since 2001, always losing to Mr Kassiano Wadri, remains in the mood regardless of the odds. “I will still contest; we shall continue to expound our old ideas which we have never been given time to implement. We want to take government services to the people and ours is to deliver service to them through modern Saccos.”

Mr Kania’s is not an enviable task, especially since Terego has gained the reputation of being an island of Opposition sympathy in the West Nile sub-region which has historical reasons not to throw their weight behind the NRM. In parts of this sub-region, old grievances against sections of the Opposition that were in the government in 1980s – and thrown out of office by Mr Museveni’s band of bandits in 1986 -- linger on.

Mr Kania, a former Constituent Assembly (CA) delegate, worked as director for research in the defunct NRM Secretariat when he lost his seat many years ago. He has struggled to recover ground and the terrain appears to be getting more crowded with each passing election cycle.

A law student at Islamic University In Uganda aligned with the Democratic Party, Mr Elia Alitia, this time plans to use 2016 to introduce himself to the people. He will run on the youth unemployment card.
Mr Alitia should, however, also expect to confront the wider social and demographic factors, such as social class or socio-economic status and religion on the campaign trail.

He could find some favour amongst the women and young who have shown an inclination to side with the opposition.
The trouble for Mr Alitia is that Mr Wadri, who is quick to protest that he is not building a political dynasty, has intimated since he is not the only man with Terego, he is quietly grooming a replacement to carry on the good work in the constituency.

At the other extreme, is former Ambassador to Brussels, Mr Harold Acemah. An articulate individual whose patriotic credentials have been well enunciated through his regular writings in the newspaper, one wonders why Mr Acemah has not been given a chance.

“On merit, I’m the best candidate but the people sometimes have their own reasons for noting voting a candidate, I have better connections and experience than all the candidates and all I need now is an opportunity to present these issues to the people of Terego County,” Mr Acemah, who proudly wears his Uganda Peoples Congress colours on his sleeve, says.

The UPC agenda
Mr Acemah draws his campaign message from his party’s manifesto. Echoes of the social agenda can be found in what he says about lobbying for the improvement of roads, encouraging growing of traditional cash crops, building unity and solidarity among people as well as ending rows with Terego’s neighbours in Arua over borders.

In rural areas, where a huge percentage of the voters live, there is growing anger over some statements made by some propagandists that the roads are not in good shape because they elected an Opposition leader. Some of the roads linking to markets are in a dilapidated state with bridges in perilous shape such as the Cilio one on R. Enyau.

In 2006, Mr Wadri won by a landslide, garnering an overwhelming 27,664 more than double Kania’s 12,984. The outside candidate in that campaign, Buzu Adroa, only managed 1,318 of the total votes cast.
Five years later, Mr Kania in 2011 accused Mr Wadri of alienating the county from the government through what he called rigid and aimless Opposition. The results of that election were revealing: Mr Peter Kamure (Independent) 2,009; Mr Acemah 513; Mr Kania 20,507. Mr Wadri won with 23,863 votes.

So what are the people thinking?
Ms Gloria Adaku, a youth in Katrini trading centre, told Saturday Monitor that: “I can only hope that in the coming months, more legislation is proposed to benefit student welfare. There is no clear winner at this point, but there is no student representation. We can only get this through an MP who can table the issue.”

Here, people believe in the appropriateness of all of the roles of their leader, but by far, the heaviest weight is placed on listening and representing. If MPs do not listen to constituents’ voices, they risk losing their mandate to represent voters, and may not be re-elected to office. “I need a leader who should ensure they regularly explain how government spends the taxpayers’ money,” Ms Mary Anguko said.

Among the richer voters, in upcoming trading centres, electricity, piped water, good schools and health care stand out as the issues of interest.

Which makes it a little difficult to appreciate exactly where Mr Sam Egama, who says he will throw his hat into the ring, stands when he says: “I will put the county back on the map through sports and make NRM as a party for the people but not as it has been personalised today.”

Who are the possible contenders?

Kassiano Wadri Ezati MP, Terego County. Was born on September 29, 1957 in Aii-vu Sub-county. He holds a Masters in Social Sector Planning and Management, Makerere (2001), PGD Public Administration, UMI/Makerere (1993), BA (SWASA), Mak (1981), Associate Degree, Democracy and Social Development, Nkozi University (2003). Wadri served also Opposition Chief Whip.

Harold Acemah. The former Ugandan Ambassador to Brussels was born on November 27, 1947. He retired from civil service in 1998 after serving as Uganda’s Representative in Ethiopia, New York and permanent mission in Canada. After retiring, he is now a consultant in International Affairs.

Mario Obiga Kania. Has been the face of NRM since 2001, always losing to Kassiano Wadri. he is a former Constituent Assembly delegate, Member of Parliament and director of research until it was dissolved.

Elia Alitia. The Islamic University In Uganda law student is a member of Democratic Party. He is likely to use unemployment as his campaign theme.

Peter Kamure. The Independent candidate is the current president of Arua Municipality Development Forum. He was among the candidates that lost to Wadri in the 2011 elections.

Sam Egama. The Headteacher of Katrini Secondary School is a national athletics coach through whom runners such as middle distance medalist Dorcus Inzikuru have passed.