Only NRM has capacity to perform, Museveni tells Dokolo voters

President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans to always vote for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates, boasting that it’s only the ruling party which can perform to their expectations.

“NRM has shown that they can perform. There was a scare of Karamojong [cattle rustlers]. We came and got rid of them,” he said while addressing a rally at Atabu Primary School, Bata sub-county in Dokolo District on Tuesday.

The head of state was in the area to drum up support for the NRM flag bearer in the Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament by-election, Ms Janet Adongo Elau, ahead of the election on Thursday.

“NRM has been able to make this patient called Uganda stand up again. There was no sugar in Uganda; no salt, soap, textiles now all shops are full…. But if you talk the issues of health, people are talking about the problem of drugs in the health centres. That is because of the corruption of your people – the health workers who steal the drugs – but the plan of the NRM is there. That’s why you should have leaders who can check those people,” Mr Museveni noted.

The seat became vacant following the death of Cecilia Atim Ogwal on January 18.

Six candidates who are now battling for the seat include; Ms Adongo Elau (NRM), Ms Sarah Aguti Nyangkori (UPC), Ogwal’s daughter Dr Rosemary Alwoch (FDC), Ms Harriet Ageno (NUP), Dr Esther Akullo Obot Otada and Ms Rebecca Arao all independent candidates.

The ruling party's Secretary General, Mr Richard Todwong, appealed to all the party members to vote for the NRM flag bearer.

“The names on the ballot paper may be confusing but look for the symbol of the bus,” he said. 

Mr Geoffrey Okwara, the LC1 chairperson of Atabu Village in Bata sub-county, thanked the President for the country’s good road network that has eased connectivity across districts.

“Health centres are doing their best to ensure the health of our people is well managed. I would also like to thank you for the security in this country. At times we get drunk and sleep by the roadside, but we wake up unharmed,” he said.

Mr Moses Goli Ogwal, the Dokolo North Member of Parliament, also thanked the government for ending cattle rustling in Dokolo, Alebtong and Otuke districts of Lango sub-region.

“In our (Lango) culture, when you have problems, particularly when you lose your loved one and somebody supports you, we appreciate it. We are very happy that a few of our people who have passed on you have supported them personally but they have not had the opportunity to say thanks to you,”   he said

Poverty level

But for close to 40 years that Mr Museveni has been in leadership, the poverty level remains high, while literacy level is low in Dokolo.

For instance, 5,574 (15.7 per cent) males aged 18 years and above are illiterate in Dokolo, while 19,160 females of the same age bracket (45.8 per cent) are illiterate, according to the National Population and Housing Census (NPHC), 2014.

At least 1,416 (4.1 per cent) households in Dokolo have members aged five years and above consuming less than two meals a day.

Only 1.7 per cent (604) households in the area own a television, while 21,732 households (62.2 per cent) own a bicycle.

At least 1,039 households (3.0 per cent) rely on a community announcer as their main source of information because they don’t own radios (Source: NPHC 2014).