The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Youthful politicians in Kitgum district have sprung up to vie for political offices against old guards in the Chua East and Kitgum municipality in the 2021 general elections.
Chua East county is currently represented by Foreign Affairs State Minister Henry Okello Oryem while the Kitgum municipality parliamentary seat is occupied by Beatrice Anywar, all members of the ruling National Resistance Movement party.
Oryem has been in Parliament since 2001 while Anywar, a former Forum for Democratic Change [FDC] party stalwart joined parliament in 2006 as the Kitgum Woman member legislator.
They will now face an uphill task against a generation of new politicians, among them youth within the NRM party and the opposition who have vowed to dislodge them.
In Chua East constituency, a 29-year-old former primary school teacher and radio presenter contesting on an independent ticket has already shown interest to run against Oryem.
Robinson Onen Acen joins three others, Silver Otim, Charles Onen all independent candidates and Godfrey Luwa on NRM ticket in the race for Chua east constituency.
Acen says that there is a need to bridge the leadership gap between the young and the old for a better representation of the country.
He notes that the youth who have been sidelined from leadership now present a much more secure future for the country at a time the elders are phasing out.
Acen says his focus is to empower youth with an agricultural mindset and rejuvenate the collapsing education and health sector in Chua east constituency.
Henry Kissinger Oryem, who is poised to tussle it out with Anywar in the NRM primaries says limited efforts have been done by current legislators to promote youth interest. Both Oryem and Anywar have since been nominated by the NRM electoral commission.
Oryem says his focus is to address the leadership challenge in Kitgum municipality through dynamic representation and relaying the view of the community instead of self-opinions.
Anywar however says that the youth are becoming unmanageable and notes that they still need time to be mentored into good leaders without overriding the elders.
She notes that the government has offered space for youth to freely participate in the country’s political space but most have been ‘sleeping’ leaving leaders outside their youth bracket to easily win them in elections.
Also in the Kitgum municipality parliamentary race is Michael Banya of the National Unity Platform-NUP, Denis Onekalit Amere- Forum for Democratic Change and Jimmy Olanya Olenge from Uganda People Congress-UPC.
In the 2016 general election, Anywar polled 5,656 votes defeating her close rival Denis Onekalit Amere who garnered 2,941 votes.
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