HOW I LOST MY PARLIAMENTARY SEAT – Reflections by Odonga Otto, Former MP Aruu County

By Hon. Odonga otto

(The Author is currently pursuing 

Political Philosophy at a European University)

 

Today I am 45 years, I am a son of the late James Otto (RIP) and Angolieta Anying (RIP). I became a member of parliament at 23 years against all odds. It was my first job and I have no other work experience. In 2019 I authored an article about my life and posted it on social media. It attracted 1.7 million readers. I got so many motivational feed backs.

I have decided to outlive my childhood and need not be locked into a state of permanent victimization. I have moved on

 

Today, 4 years later, a lot has changed in my life and that is the nature of life, change.

I lost my parliamentary seat; I am no longer the Member of Parliament as I pen this “epilogue.” I will explain this process a little further how I lost my seat because that is where I drew more life lessons far beyond what I posted in 2019.

 

Where the loss was more than a loss:

 

I got nominated to run for Aruu county seat in 2021 that would be my 5th elective term. All indicators and opinion polls even from government newspapers indicated that I would win, I also knew that I would win. But I did not.

 

Being a member of the opposition to the ruling party, I abandoned the campaigns midway because my life was in danger.

The entire Electoral system was under heavy influence from the “powers that be.” At one time I was declared dead and that it would be illegal to vote for me. The harmful propaganda was too much for me to counter and I was overwhelmed.

 

The military was deployed at the Electoral tally center, I was not able to access the venue, my wife did but she was told by police to leave that she was not putting on a mask yet everyone else was not.

 

I heard the elections results over radio, an election I was a participant but for my safety I could not be there. My official car was detained at police for over 3 months. An application for its release to courts of law could not expedite its release.

 

Life had to continue. I went to Pader police station hopefully to collect my car-the chattel that was left after election that I had already “lost.” I was arrested and detained by the police. Their concern was the election petition I had filed in court against the Sham election. The powers that be wanted the petition off their way. I got released from police on medical grounds and weeks later I was rearrested handcuffed and driven 350 km to Kampala city police headquarters.

 

 

I was kept in police cells for three days with no charge, police bond was denied. When the then Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Kadaga heard about my predicament, she threatened to camp at police if I were not released or produced in court. I was immediately bundled in a car for another 350kms to Gulu. Then to Pader. In all I made over 1500 kms in a handcuff. This should be of interest to the Guinness book of record.

 

I appeared in Pader court in the company of my wife and lawyer. She was not allowed to say a word in court. I was remanded to Gulu prison.

 

In handcuffs I had to figure how to board the prison truck.

 

I sat on the bare metal on the floor of the truck on rough marram road for 95kms.My hips nearly gave way. One policeman was kind enough to allow me sit on his boots. The more jumps on the road, the more the handcuff tightened with a 70-year-old jointly handcuffed with me.

 

I was treated without human dignity, mistreated in the court room, a court room I helped build while an MP, as an advocate and officer of the court I deserved better. But politics prevailed over justice. The world had descended on me. It was one of my lowest moments, but I just accepted the way the world was taking me.

 

I spent 3 days in Gulu prisons and was produced in two courts in one day before getting bail.

 

The election petition: –

 

I won the election petition, and the elections were nullified by Justice Taddeo. The day I was declared the winner of the petition, that very night my tormentor the power that be died. Some of the things in this world you cannot explain or understand.

 

However, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision.

I resolved to retire from elective parliamentary politics, a position I hold up to now. However, a fair process makes the loser stronger than the winner.

 

I therefore needed a break. I needed a different outlook, and that is how I got into academia in Europe. The certificate of good conduct was a VISA requirement that was always denied to me by the police because of the powers that be, this time round I found them waiting for me with my copy at the police gate. I am now in Europe ahead of a PHD.

 

In all “like a car spring that when pushed down to the lowest with lots of weight, it pushes back with greater force than in normalcy, so did I my lowest moments was an opportunity to rise. You cannot get up unless you fall”

 

 

 In the next series, we shall publish Odonga’s 45 life lessons from his 45 years’ experience on LIFE