By Our Reporter
SOROTI
Leaders and supporters of the Uganda Peoples Congress (UPC) party in the Teso subregion have pledged overwhelming backing for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, aiming for a remarkable 99.5 percent support.
This commitment was expressed during a meeting with Vice President Dr. Major Retired Jessica Alupo at Eneku training village in Soroti City on 30th December, 2025.
The UPC members outlined their priorities in a memorandum presented to the President, calling for several key initiatives such as acknowledging the bravery of the Arrow Boys who fought against LRA rebels, ensuring veteran payments, increasing the budget for Teso affairs, reviving cooperative unions, revitalizing meat processing factories, promoting cassava processing, enhancing the availability of tractors, and improving access to agricultural credit.
Elderly UPC stalwart Fredrick Jackson Oculi, who delivered the memorandum, urged President Museveni to prioritize regional development, advocating for balanced opportunities in education scholarships, government appointments, and business.
“Ministerial appointments are not equitably distributed; for instance, Kapelebyong lacks a minister while other districts in the subregion have two,” Oculi noted.
Additionally, the UPC members are requesting increased government support for universities, opportunities for capacity building, and study visits within and abroad.
They reaffirmed their dedication to enhancing the President’s candidacy.
“We hope the President pays close attention to these matters to foster better collaboration with Teso, fully aware that our future is secure with you as our leader,” he said.
Oculi assured that UPC in the region will defend the achievements related to the appointments of the Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament, and Teso ministers, urging the President to retain these positions or consider adding more.
He emphasized that their support for NRM is driven by a desire to safeguard the peace and stability that Teso has experienced, highlighting that trade routes have improved for the region, with Karamojong now purchasing cattle from Teso markets like Akore in Kapelebyong district.
“Now days the raiding routes have become the trading routes and this is a very important gain Teso should protect because Karamojong are now buying cows from Teso markets like Akore in Kapelebyong,” he said.
Winifred Adio, affectionately known as Mama UPC in Teso, stated that UPC members are inclined to back President Museveni due to the many positive actions taken by the NRM government, including the recent appointment of the Katakwi Woman MP as Vice President.
Andrew Omiat, the MP candidate for Ngariam County in Katakwi District, expressed concerns over the recent appointment of Alupo as Vice President, suggesting it influences him to back President Museveni.
He emphasized the importance of maintaining the current political landscape, citing Museveni as the sole candidate mentored by former President Dr. Apolo Milton Obote from the UPC.
Omiat appealed to the government to implement affirmative action for Teso by sponsoring children within annually in Soroti University.
Paul Esogu, the Deputy Speaker of the Amuria District Council, praised Vice President Alupo for her unique charm, stating that President Museveni is their only true father.
He however said the Government should avoid using the NRM leaders to deliver certain services to the communities because they (UPC) members are always left out.
Esogu also requested the government provide Amuria with a transformer to facilitate local activities.
Joseph Okinyom, chairperson of UPC party in Bukedea District, called on the government to combat corruption within the police and health sectors, tackle unemployment, and address the high costs of healthcare.
He pointed out that many health workers in their area refer patients to their own clinics, making treatments unnecessarily expensive.
“Vice President, if you send your investigators to Bukedea district, you will arrest so many health workers who are cheating locals,” Okinyom said.
Kenneth Edosu, the UPC mobilizer for Kalaki District, raised concerns about the troubling issue of ‘slave trade’ where many Ugandan children are exploited as laborers abroad, often enduring harsh conditions.
He urged the government to create more job opportunities locally to prevent this hardship.
Florence Naire, a UPC member from Soroti City, advocated for government support for small businesses, noting that many men leave after fathering children, leaving women to fend for themselves.
Stephen Ewalu, a candidate for the councilor seat in Campswahili ward, called for the establishment of a school dedicated to rehabilitating street children, recognizing the growing number of such youth in Soroti City.
VP Alupo praised the UPC party for their thoughtfully crafted memorandum, which is packed with innovative ideas that will benefit not only UPC but also the entire Teso region and Uganda as a whole. “I appreciate your nationalistic spirit. You are visionaries who understand the significance of transforming Teso’s economy,” Alupo remarked.
She assured the audience that she would share the memorandum with President Museveni and promised to return to Teso with his response.
Additionally, the vice president highlighted several achievements of the NRM in Teso, emphasizing the importance of voting President Museveni back into office to safeguard these accomplishments. She also outlined NRM’s various plans for the Ugandan people.
