Otuke County East Member of Parliament, Julius Acon Bua, who also serves as the NRM chairperson for Otuke district, has pledged to raise a key matter before President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni during the monthly NRM caucus meeting.
Acon is a distinguished former athlete. Between 1994 and 1999, he was voted Uganda’s sportsman of the year, and represented Uganda at international world athletics events in the following countries Sweden, Edmonton and Canada from 1995 to 2011.
Speaking to tndNews, Uganda, on June 2, 2026, MP Acon argued that in the recent appointment of ministers, many individuals were assigned portfolios unrelated to their professional backgrounds.
According to him, this trend risks undermining the performance of some ministries, as effective administration requires individuals with the right expertise.
He cited the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, noting that former Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng Ocero helped steer the country through the crisis because she was appointed to a role matching her profession.
Acon lamented that to prevent citizens with diverse talents from losing hope, the appointing authority should prioritise professional qualifications before assigning anyone to a ministerial post.
The NRM leader expressed a wish that professionals be posted to relevant departments, adding that this principle should apply after first considering those already in their respective fields.
He observed that the current practice has contributed to corruption in some ministries, as ministers often work alongside technically skilled civil servants but fail to add value themselves.
Reflecting on his own athletic career, the Otuke East MP noted that he won numerous medals in the Golden League and Grand Prix events, including two Olympic appearances, 11 world championship medals, and a gold medal in 1994.
He also secured three gold medals at the All-Africa Games and three more at the Commonwealth Games. In 1996, Acon was recognised as the best in his discipline, setting a record in the 800 meters with a time of 1:44.54 that stood for 21 years.
He added that in 2021, he was inducted into the World Olympians for Life program, based on his humanitarian achievements, including drilling over 130 clean water boreholes across the Lango sub-region, especially in Otuke District.
Beyond that, Acon said he has distributed 30,000 hand hoes per household, followed by seeds such as soybeans, simsim, and maize to help eradicate poverty within his constituency.
“The recent appointments made by the President were not fair on merit,” Acon told tndNews, Uganda, pledging to raise this issue before the appointing authority.
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