Oyam North by-election: Queen gives NRM flag aspirants overdose of headache

Queen Dorothy Amolo is said to be giving her National Resistance Movement (NRM) party colleagues a hard time during the ongoing consultation ahead of the Oyam North County by-election.
The by-election for Oyam North County which is slated for July 6, 2023 will cost about Shs900 million, according to the Electoral Commission (EC).

About seven people have expressed interest in vying for the NRM party flag to replace the late Col (Rtd) Charles Okello Engola Macodwogo.
The former State minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations and Oyam North Member of Parliament, was shot dead at home by his bodyguard, Pte Wilson Sabiiti, on May 2, 2023. Shortly after the gruesome murder, Sabiiti also turned the gun on himself.

Those in the race for NRM flag are former envoy, Mr Julius Peter Moto, Mr Samuel Okello Engola, Mr Willy Omodo Omodo, Mr Billie Otto, Mr Alfred Okello Obaro, Ms Amolo and Mr Augustine Obanga.

However, sources within the NRM party seem to suggest that Ms Amolo – a renowned international investor and entrepreneur based in the United States of America – has continued to “dominate” the ongoing consultations with various party delegates and residents ahead of the party primary whose date has not yet been decided on by the NRM secretariat.
This is because she has adequate resources to throw around and move faster.

This publication established that on June 5, 2023, Ms Amolo and her campaign team combed villages in Acaba Sub-county.  
After holding a rally that attracted hundreds of locals at Acaba Sub-county headquarters, she held a “special” meeting with NRM delegates from the area.

During the event, Ms Amolo reportedly briefed the delegates about her manifesto, and the delegates pledged to give her all the “necessary support” during the consultation and campaign periods.
Ms Amolo told the residents drawn from various political parties that wealth creation through effective lobbying from the government with large support from her trail of investors and developers was her top priority.

In the education sector, Ms Amolo, a teacher by training, said it is possible to establish an innovation-based institution of higher learning to train youth in various fields of technology and science-tailored skills, among others.

She expressed commitment to empowering young people by extending to them relevant projects that can improve their lives, urging youth to engage in commercial farming being promoted by the government.
“Health, education, wealth creation and infrastructure expansion remain critical in my manifesto for the people of Oyam. All these can be successfully achieved through my networks of development partners and the government,” she said.
Mr Charles Owot Amuge, the LC3 chairman of Acaba Sub-county described Ms Amolo as a visionary leader whose exposure and capabilities are most required in Oyam North.

"This time we must elect someone who is ready to sacrifice for the people, not the one whose interest aims at enriching himself at the expense of the local people,” he said.
He added: “We know Ms Amolo as a very industrious leader equipped with international entrepreneurial connections, and she is willing to serve our people."

A few days ago, Ms Amolo held similar consultative rallies that attracted large crowds in Iceme, Aleka, and Abok sub-counties, according to her foot soldiers.
But Mr Omodo-Omodo wrote on his Facebook page that his support is growing day-by- day. 
“It is me and Obangakene who are visible on the ground, but the rest are just phone callers,” he said.