Dokolo, Uganda | The NRM camp in Dokolo North Constituency received a wave of new momentum on Saturday after several local leaders and former supporters of rival candidates publicly declared support for the party’s flagbearer, Joseph Jones Ogwal.
Speaking to residents during a mobilization meeting in Atabu and Barlela Parishes, Bata Subcounty, community leader Ogwal Joseph Jones stated that seven out of every ten families in some villages are grappling with Gender-Based Violence (GBV), adding that many men in the constituency had fallen into alcoholism.
He noted that these challenges required the intervention of community psychologists to restore social stability.
Nancy Enon, Bata Subcounty Female Coordinator for Joseph Jones Ogwal and a strong NRM supporter, dismissed claims that an independent candidate would perform better than the NRM flagbearer.
She argued that such narratives are misleading and pointed to the incumbent Woman MP Sarah Aguti Nyangkori, who won on a UPC ticket, saying constituents had not felt her impact.
She urged voters to unite behind Joseph Jones Ogwal for the 2026–2031 parliamentary term.
Maxwell Okello, once a supporter of incumbent MP Moses Ogwal Goli, announced that he has returned to the NRM fold.
He explained that although Goli is running as an independent after losing the NRM primaries, the party remained bigger than individual ambitions, and he would now support Joseph Jones Ogwal.
Another resident, Adea Bonny, previously associated with Ogwal Kasimiro and recently seen around Democratic Front candidate Alfred Junior Okello, clarified that he only visited their events as a boda-boda rider seeking income.
He said he remains committed to the government and to Joseph Jones Ogwal’s candidature.
Bosco Okello, Male Subcounty Coordinator for Bata, welcomed defectors from other political camps.
He appreciated Ogwal’s task force for responding quickly when he had earlier expressed concerns about the state of development in the area.
He maintained that with Ogwal carrying the NRM flag, development would come because the government would listen to him through the NRM caucus.
He urged defectors to support the campaign wholeheartedly.
Atabu Parish NRM Chairperson Morish Emuku Ekuju encouraged Joseph Jones Ogwal to find ways of bringing back supporters who had drifted to other candidates, saying they had only gone in search of small financial handouts.
Bata Subcounty NRM Chairperson Obote Ben warned residents not to be misled by anti-NRM propaganda.
He thanked supporters who ensured the party flag remained with Joseph Jones Ogwal.
He cited infrastructure projects championed under President Museveni, including Lira University, Akii-Bua Stadium, Lira–Soroti Highway, and the Rwenkunye–Lira–Puranga road, and expressed confidence that government would soon compensate Lango’s lost cattle.
He urged voters to protect these gains by supporting President Museveni, Joseph Jones Ogwal, and all NRM flagbearers.
Ocero Parish NRM Chairperson Moro Sam said the community had made a mistake in electing Moses Ogwal Goli in 2021, arguing that the incumbent had performed poorly, including distributing cassava stems in November, which he described as an inappropriate season.
He pledged to mobilize overwhelming support for Joseph Jones Ogwal, predicting that Goli would struggle to secure even a handful of votes in his parish.
Addressing supporters, NRM flagbearer Joseph Jones Ogwal compared politicians to medical officers, saying they use different approaches to solve community challenges.
He told residents that President Museveni still has a clear vision for Uganda and Lango subregion and urged voters to give the president and himself full support so that he would be empowered to lobby for development.
He outlined his priorities if elected, which included championing legislation, following up on government programs, elevating education standards, improving health services, and ensuring clean water, reliable electricity, and functional road networks.
He noted that the government had already improved the welfare of senior citizens by lowering the SAGE beneficiary age to 65 and increasing the stipend to 35,000 shillings.
Ogwal said he would push for increased PDM funding and extended repayment periods, while warning residents against what he described as misleading rhetoric from NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi, whom he accused of seeking to dismantle PDM and divide the country.
He revealed that he had secured land for an adult learning and youth skilling centre and promised to work with the Lango Presidential Zonal Skilling Hub to enroll youth from the constituency.
He added that initial discussions on electricity expansion had begun and would continue if elected.
He criticised the incumbent MP for failing to reach the right offices to bring development to Dokolo North.
Ogwal said he would support women’s groups, promote peace, improve education standards through scholarships for P7 graduates joining secondary school, and lobby for the elevation of health centres.
Wealth creation, infrastructure development, improved education, peace and stability, and international cooperation, some of the core pillars of the upcoming NRM manifesto, were highlighted as central to Ogwal’s 2026–2031 parliamentary agenda.
