I have been in parliamentary by elections in Usuk County in Katakwi district.  But this was different! I went with MP Wafula Oguttu, Kasiano Wadri and Nandala Mafabi in the same car on the eve of the Election Day September 12^th, 2012, my names are Walakira Nyanzi, Speaker LC III Makindye Sabagabo

 We were in Katakwi by 4:00PM. On that usually dusty but these days muddy road because of the too much rain, electricity poles were being erected and wires put on so as to make these people vote wisely!

I don’t need to tell you that there is no electricity in Katakwi district. We moved around to map the area of operation, but wherever we passed, people run to the road even as late as mid night. I asked some of them that why did they do it, and I was told they expected NRM campaign money.

We saw the house of the former MP Oleny and that of education Minister Jessica Alupo, and we wondered if they reside in those houses because of the money we know they have in Kampala. I realised that this is intended to hoodwink the peasants in Usuk not to aspire for bigger political things. I want to tell you that the poverty here is more than any poverty I have seen anywhere but the district has three ministers: Alupo of Education, Echweru of Disaster and Gen. Jeje Odong for Defense.

The LC III Chairperson of Usuk who is an FDC man lives in a grass roofed house!! The Electoral Commission presiding officer at Atupoon Polling Station was wearing ”nigina” (poor shoes) so when they saw us in gumboots, they saw us as coming from Mars!!

We slept in the grass thatched house of one of the candidates in the race, Richard Ekure where we saw big political comrades from Kampala sleeping on the floor sharing mattresses without blankets in a rainy and cold night. In that place where we were Mps Alice Alaso,   Maj. Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Kasese district woman MP Winnie Kiiza,  Geoffrey Ekanya, Hassan Fungaroo, among others slept in other places. Sadly, at night many of our vehicle’s tires were pierced with nails.

Ends