At the by-election held in Serere County on Thursday, independent candidate Emmanuel Omoding was named the victor.
With 15,638 votes, Omoding, the son of former MP Patrick Okabe, defeated four other candidates to win the fiercely contested race.
Phillip Oucor of the NRM, who received 13,206 votes, and Alice Alaso of the Alliance for National Transformation, who received 3,335 votes, were his opponents.
According to the results announced last night by Serere District Returning Officer Sylvia Cheptegei, Engineer Martin Onguruco and Emmanuel Eratu of the FDC came in last with 2,523 and 1,252 votes, respectively.
Four voting locations’ results were cancelled due to violence. These include the Odokai and Olumoi PAG Church in the Atiira Sub County, the Angole Primary School Polling Station in the Kyere Sub County, and the Kangod Primary School Polling Station in the Ocaapa Town Council, all of which have previously been the scene of documented incidences of irregularities.
Omoding, a social worker stationed in Australia, entered the race after learning that his father had passed away in a car accident in December of the previous year.
His family and several lawmakers, including the Government Chief Whip, Denis Hamson Obua and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, stood before him.
Nevertheless, the NRM’s EC Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi opposed the idea and backed Philip Oucor, who had previously run for the same position.
This action caused a significant rift in the Serere party structures.
In contrast to earlier by-elections, where the NRM secretariat actively participated, Rosemary Sseninde, the party’s national mobilizer, and Emmanuel Dombo Lumala, its director of communication, dominated the Serere by-election.
