By Our Reporter
KATAKWI
Vice President Maj. Retired Jessica Alupo Epel made history this morning as she became the first official nominee for the position of district woman member of Parliament for Katakwi District, representing the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Party.
After her nomination at 9 am, she made her way to the Katakwi Boma grounds, a journey of over two kilometers, where she gathered with thousands of enthusiastic voters for her inaugural nomination rally.
In a press briefing shortly after her nomination by Stephen Makubuya, the Katakwi District EC returning officer, Alupo assured supporters that she would adhere to the clear roadmap outlined in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Manifesto, which addresses the needs of the Ugandan people.
As the NRM flag bearer, Alupo emphasized her commitment to advancing initiatives focused on peace and security, providing free education for all children, provision of water and enhancing health and government programs.
She highlighted her priorities, including ensuring that women in Katakwi fully exercise their rights to participate in politics and leadership roles, as well as joining the money economy on equal footing with others.
Alupo vowed to ensure that funds allocated for women’s empowerment—such as the women’s fund, GROW project, PDM, and Emyooga—are utilized effectively and productively by women in the community.
She is confident that these programs will assist all segments of the population in Uganda in combating poverty while also helping the youth secure employment and generate wealth.
The women MP also stressed the importance of improving connectivity, particularly through road networks linking Katakwi to other districts, as well as within parishes and sub-counties, to facilitate trade and ensure access to health and education services.
Alupo said she will continue advocating for gender parity so that the women continue to be considered in all development positions.
VP Alupo is gearing up for a competitive nomination showdown against several candidates, including FDC’s Frances Clare Apolot, Cecilia Anyakoit (IND), Angella Anuken (IND), and Akurut Violet Adome (IND).
So far, only VP Alupo has secured their nomination and Frances Clare Apolot was yet to be nominated today, while the remaining candidates will be participating in the second round of nominations. Notably, Anuken and Akurut were contenders that Vice President Alupo overwhelmingly defeated in the NRM primaries, where she achieved an impressive 88.8% of the votes.
Alupo’s victory was significant, amassing 84,944 votes, far surpassing Anuken Angella, who managed to receive only 5,704 votes.
The other candidates, Akurut Violet Adome and Cecilia Anyakoit, received 4,828 and 139 votes, respectively.
Maj. (Rtd) Jessica Alupo, is the ninth and current Vice President of Uganda since June 2021. She is a Ugandan politician, educator, and former military officer. She previously served in the cabinet of Uganda as Minister of education between 2011 and 2016.
In 2001, she entered politics as a candidate for the Katakwi District women’s representative. She ran on the ticket of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) political party.
She won and was re-elected in 2006. In 2009, she was appointed as the state minister for youth and children’s affairs.
