Oyam | Jane Acilo: A leader must deliver to seek more mandates

Jane Frances Acilo, on Monday, November 24, asked the residents of Aweibetty Trading Centre, Adel Parish, in Minakulu Town Council to give their mandates to a leader who delivers.

Acilo, who is the NRM party candidate for the Oyam district woman MP seat in the forthcoming parliamentary election, emphasised that there is no logic in electing the same person every election cycle when people are grappling with challenges.

She believes that Oyam will develop once she’s elected, promising to, among many things, lobby for a district hospital. Acilo is also promising to work towards improving education standards, saying that Oyam has declined significantly in academic excellence.

While she’s committing herself to working for all irrespective of political parties, Acilo noted that it’s not realistic for a candidate of an opposition party to tell the people of Oyam to vote for President Museveni, when, after 15 years, she has failed to lobby for critical services from the NRM government for her people.

Throughout her reelection campaigns, Santa Alum Ogwang, who has been sacked by the UPC party leader Jimmy Akena as parliamentary whip in the 11th Parliament, is rallying residents to vote for Museveni.

Her sacking from the juicy Parliamentary role follows her defiance of Akena’s directive that no UPC leader or member should show support for Museveni.

Also read: Akena sacks MP Santa Alum as UPC whip in Parliament

Widely seen as a frontrunner to oust Alum, Acilo told Minakulu on Monday that in five years as an MP, agriculture – our country’s backbone- would be commercialised. This, she revealed, would be achieved through quality seeds and better markets for agricultural produce.

Like in many villages and parishes across Oyam, where she has campaigned, Acilo told the gathering at Saint Martina Catholic Church, Itek Parish in Minakulu Town Council, that poverty remains a big problem for every family in the district.

To deal with it, she promised to provide “fishing hooks and nets” for wealth creation at the grassroots level.

Her manifesto, themed Nyayo Lonyo Icing Otedero,” aligns with the NRM and President Museveni’s and the ruling party’s popular slogan of “Protecting the Gains.”

What locals say

Lilly Acola of Abutadir village, Itek Parish, Minakulu Town Council, blames Oyam’s slow development on the current leadership.

In an interview with this publication at Saint Martina on Monday, Acola decried poor states of roads, health centres and water.

According to her, most water sources in their area are taken over by cattle leaving water for domestic use contaminated.

Apio Grace desires leaders with a good heart and ready to serve the ordinary people who will elect them.

This time, she’s banking her hope on Acilo, stating: “We need a change. We need someone like Acilo, who has shown her willingness to transform Oyam and help everyone irrespective of political parties.”