Omoro County by-election: Time for campaigns changed as farmers head to gardens

OMORO– Candidates fighting to clinch the Omoro County Parliamentary seat have been forced to adjust their time for campaigns as farmers shun morning rallies.

The locals, who are majorly farmers, have so far focused more on farms, which are the main sources of their livelihood.

A total of six candidates are combing the area for votes as they each seek to replace the late Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah come May 26, 2022.

The candidates include;  National Resistance Movement [NRM]`s Andrew Ojok Oulanyah, also son to the late Oulanyah, Alliance for National Transformation [ANT]`s Oscar Kizza, Forum for Democratic Change [FDC]`s Justine Odong.

Others in the race are; independent candidates Terence Odonga, Jimmy Walter Onen, and National Unity Platform [NUP]`s Simon Toolit Akecha.

In the district and other parts of Acholi Sub region, farmers are busy clearing, planting and weeding crops, among other agricultural practices that they depend on to survive.

According to the official campaign schedule, candidates start campaigning from 9:00 am 5:00 pm in the evening, even though most candidates are holding campaigns beyond the stipulated time set by the Electoral Commission [EC].

Milly Amono, a resident of Opit Town Council said farmers are prioritising farm work because it`s their only major source of food and income. She said that the right time for campaigns to start should be 11:00 am, adding that around that time, they would be done with their farm work.

Jackson Okello, a resident of Omolo sub ward in Opit Town Council said some candidates have been coming to them to campaign beyond the stipulated campaign time provided for by the EC.

According to Okello, some candidates campaign till late at night thus disrupting people who want to sleep.

NRM’s candidate Ojok Oulanyah said he now starts his campaigns in the afternoons since, in the morning hours, farmers are engaged in their gardens.

Ojok said his campaign managers have spread teams wide as they hold four to five rallies a day to compensate for the morning hours. He said they are also moving door to door to appease the voters.

“Our strategy for door to door is because we want to reach everyone, given the few days given to us. The farming activity has had some impact on my campaigns but majorly on day one,” Ojok noted.

Meanwhile, FDC’s Odong said that his camp is equally affected by the low turn up of locals for campaigns in morning hours. He said they have equally adjusted their campaign time by at least 2 hours later to allow people/farmers to finish their farm work.

Odong said that he is not holding night rallies as advised by the EC.

However, Florence Lalam, an FDC LCV Councilor candidate vying for the Lalogi/Lakwaya sub-county elections has claimed that her house was broken into as she was busy addressing an evening rally. She said this happened at around 11:00 pm.

She said her properties were disorganized though nothing was stolen by the unknown people. Lalam said that she reported the matter to the Police. theCooperator could not independently verify this claim.

Both Richard Todwong, the NRM Secretary General and Rose Seninde, the Director Mobilization NRM acknowledged that the farming activity has affected their campaigns but added they have devised other mechanisms to ensure that the message of their candidate reaches all corners of Omoro district.

Efforts to get a comment from Moses Kagona, the Omoro District Electoral Commission Returning officer were futile as he neither picked our repeated calls nor replied to messages.

https://thecooperator.news/omoro-voters-task-parliamentary-candidates-on-service-delivery/

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