Otto urges civic activism to end the leadership crisis in Oyam South

A former Oyam South MP has called for civic activism to help address the constituency’s leadership and development crisis.

In a statement obtained by tndNews on Wednesday, Ishaa Otto Amiza stated that “on Saturday, 1 February 2025, the perennial Member of Parliament for Oyam County South, Hon. Betty Amongi, relocated her voting station from Adel-Minakulu to Lira City ahead of her preparation to contest for Woman MP Lira City in 2026.”

In early January, Amongi, who was elected in 2021 to represent the people of Oyam South until 2026, bid farewell to “her people.”

“Amongi was categorical in informing her former voters that she is no longer interested in representing them,” Otto said.

“After all, she has fulfilled her mission of representing Oyam County South,” Otto, Amongi’s successor, stated.

“We may recall that since Amongi was re-elected in 2021 for her third consecutive term as MP for Oyam County South, she has abandoned her legislative and representative duties and relocated to Lira City to carry out her political mobilization with some of her loyal councillors who supported her in the 2021 election.”

Otto stated that while in Lira City, she began her political mobilization and distribution of handouts to youths and women in order to recruit them as her political agents or supporters.

“As a leader born and raised in Oyam with a track record of serving the people, I cannot sit back and watch our people abandoned and subjected to blackmail without courtesy.

“For the last 15 years, my preoccupation has been to serve Lango and Uganda as a civil-political activist based in Lira; Lango, where I have been able to make significant strides in holding the NRM government and President Museveni accountable to the people of Lango and Uganda through civic activism.”

Otto expressed his pride as a citizen and leader for the five key remarkable things in Lango that the government improved or addressed as a result of his personal sacrifice and dedication. These includes:

• The protest against Umeme Co. Ltd to improve electricity services in Lango resulted in what he describes as “my brutal arrest and imprisonment.”
• Protests to remove Gulu Constituent College sign posts from Lango soil in order to establish Lango as an independent university.
• The campaign is against National Water and Sewage Cooperation for mismanaging water supply and distribution in Lira operational areas.
• The upgrade and rehabilitation of Lira Technical College (UTC-Lira)
• The campaigns to protect the 64 square miles of Maruzi Ranch from being grabbed and given away to people he called “fraudsters.”
• The campaigns to compel CAF and the government to construct Akii Bua Stadium to host AFCON games in 2027. 
• The most recent campaign was for the reconstruction of the 67-kilometer Lira-Kamdini road, which drew President Museveni to Alidi (my home village) to discuss my concerns about the road. Work is in progress now.

Otto stated that the final political campaign was to prevent an attempt to sell out the UPC party to the NRM regime by obtaining court relief from the High Court and the Supreme Court.

“I am now confident and very happy that after 15 years of progressive civil campaigns in Lango, my children and grandchildren will have a legacy to carry forward from my contributions towards development of Lango and Uganda,” he added.

According to Otto, because his primary mission in Lango was to fight for key social services, he now feels compelled to relocate and redirect his campaigns in Oyam district by collaborating with the people to fill leadership voids caused by voter disrespect, abuse of people’s mandate, and abdication of office by the area Member of Parliament.

“Well aware of the legacies of our forefathers; Maj. Gen. Oyite, Hon. Dr. Epak, Hon. Ben Wacha, Prof. Isaac Ojok, Col. Okello Engola, Hon. Lagada, Abdallah Anyuru, Hon. Ayena Odongo, Col. Odwee and Lt. Col. John Ogole, Fr. Oryang, and many great leaders of Oyam cannot go in vain while they are still alive.

“The mantle of greatness that I inherited from the late Dr. Yefusa Okullo Epak will continue to flourish despite efforts to undermine it.”

Otto has now stated that Oyam South will focus on five core areas: improving education quality, improving worker welfare (teachers/health workers), and establishing a sports center, preferably a stadium.

Another option is to establish modern artifacts and a book center. Water supply and sanitation; installation of pipe water supply in Oyam from Kamdini-Aboke, Kamdini-Atura, Kamdini-Atapara Hospital, and Minakulu-Aceno-Acaba to Oyam Town and Minakulu to the park boundary.

Otto, who has declined to comment on his ambitious political plans for 2026, has stated that he intends to train the community on how to manage existing water points.

In terms of health services, Otto wants to upgrade Agulurude HCIII to HCIV for Oyam County South and upgrade the Sinohydro-built health facility under CSR to a general hospital to handle traffic accidents along the Karuma-Gulu-Lira highway.

In line with health policy, he advocates for the upgrade of at least one HCII to HCIII in sub-counties and pushes for Oyam South to have a medical ambulance to handle the dozens of traffic accidents that occur there.

Standard roads and water transport Infrastructures

Through civic activism, he intends to ensure that the Lira-Kamdini road is completed to a high standard by requiring contractors to install road signs and proper drainage, as well as lobby for the improvement of community roads and the rehabilitation of roads built under the Ishaa Otto Road Initiatives 2010.

“Since the area MP of Oyam County South is the Minister for Gender, Labour, and Social Development, we will continue to push her to pay voters on the issues of household income and youth wealth empowerment,” Ishaa Otto added.

“In addition to the above, my civil and political campaigns for accountability of local and national leadership and governance shall continue. I, therefore, urge the people of Oyam County South to remain calm and peaceful during this transitional period until they have a new leader (MP) in 2026.

“I also urge Lango to plan for a national democratic transition following 40 years of one-man rule. The year 40 is a year of renewal and revival and a year of hope.”

Ahead of 2026, Otto has urged voters in Oyam and across Lango to abandon handout politics in favor of focusing on individual candidates’ agendas and records.

“After all, the party politics is still unsustainable in the current political setup.”