On Saturday, May 13, 2023, during the burial of late Minister Col (Rtd) Charles Okello Engola Macodwogo in Iceme Sub County, Oyam District, MP Tony Ayo, also the whip of all NRM MPs from Lango, presented the deceased’s eldest son Samuel Engola, aka Junior Engola, as his possible replacement in the forthcoming by-election.
The late Minister Macodwongo, who was also serving a second term as the Oyam North County MP on the NRM ticket, was assassinated by his bodyguard from his residential home, Kyanja, in Kampala on May 2, 2023.
Queen Dorothy Amolo, a US-based Ugandan investor who executed several development partnerships with the late Minister Engola, Richard Obangakene, Amb. Julius Peter Moto, Willy Omodo Omodo, Samuel Junior Engola, Alfred Okello Obaro (all NRM), Dr. Eunice Apio Otuku, and Crispus Ayena Odongo, have expressed interest in the seat.
As a tradition in the NRM Party, several party decisions are often reached after thorough intelligence gathering regarding the reality on the ground.
A highly placed source within the NRM secretariat revealed that a clandestine intelligence gathering, which included profiling all those who have expressed interest in the forthcoming by-election in Oyam North County to inform the decisions of the National Party leadership, was conducted a few days ago.
According to the source, all the separate findings were conducted one week ago, revealed how the ruling NRM party risks losing the seat to the opposition once Junior Engola is fronted as the sole candidate.
“Junior became politically rebellious to both the NRM and his late father for so many years. He was elected to the Oyam district council on the UPC party ticket when his father was still the district LCV chairperson. He then developed a large enmity, which deteriorated his personal relationship with his late father,” reads part of the report.
The report also revealed how a large section of the NRM party leaders in Oyam district have remained politically angry and disappointed with the recent pronouncement regarding a plan to front Junior Engola to replace his father, whom he politically fought until death.
Another intelligence source revealed that the NRM District Executive Committee and the NRM leaderships in all the sub-counties and town councils in Oyam North want Junior Engola to contest in the party primaries since they know he is not popular among the circle.
It’s said the report further highlighted how Junior Engola, once fronted as the NRM flagbearer, is way below capacity to politically outcompete former MP Crispus Ayena Odongo and UPC flagbearer Dr. Eunice Apio Otuku, who terribly trounced the late Macodwogo and almost defeated him during the 2021 elections.
Dr. Apio Otuku, who was widely backed by the Minister of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, Betty Amongi, hails from Otwal Sub County.
“Both the Woman MP for Oyam District, Santa Alum, and Dila Benson, the Oyam District LCV Chairman, hail from Otwal Sub County; therefore, electing the Oyam North MP who hails from the same area would create a huge political division and vacuum in other parts of the constituency. Oyam North County has seven sub-counties, including Ngai, Iceme, Acaba, Otwal, Aleka, and Abok, and two town councils in Iceme and Oyam. Queen Dorothy Amolo hails from Acaba sub-county. This factor alone leaves Ayena Odongo, whose ancestral home is in Ngai Sub County but now lives in Iceme Sub County, with a large political chance, much as the money factor may deter his ambition,” the report revealed.
According to the same report, Amb. Julius Peter Motto also hails from Otwal Sub County, and this will technically water his weight since Dr. Apio has a large support base in the same area.
Accordingly, the reports recommended that Queen Dorothy Amolo, who almost defeated Gender Minister Amongi during the 2021 election, be considered as the potential candidate since she is regarded as a much more neutral, popular, and financially stable candidate with updated political mobilization capability that can defeat Dr. Apio Otuku, who is most likely to be backed by Minister Betty Amongi either openly or covertly.
In the same report, Amolo, who hails from Dogapio, in Acaba sub-county but is a native of Oyam South, was reflected as a timely, relevant, and strong choice if the ruling party is to retain the seat. Dr. Apio Otuku and Crispus Ayena were highlighted as those with possible chances once NRM fronted a weak candidate.
Amolo, an economist trained at Makerere University, is the brain behind various community groups promoting wealth creation initiatives in Kamdini, Aber, Minakulu, Myene, Loro, Acaba, and Iceme Sub Counties.
She also supported various initiatives of the late Minister Charles Okello Engola. She was in the final stages of a formal partnership with the minister to implement numerous community initiatives in Oyam North Constituency before the death of Charles Okello Engola. Amolo was the Chief Executive of a non-profit organization for ten years that supported thousands of disadvantaged children in war-torn Northern Uganda.
She is the President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of several companies in Washington, DC, Wyoming, and South Carolina, including Queen Industries, LLC, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment. APM-USA, one of the USA’s leading suppliers of custom pharmaceutical and packaging machines; Intercontinental Alternative Medicine, manufacturer of America’s most effective natural supplements with 80% of its ingredients produced in Oyam district.
Amolo is a Pro Elite Buyer at Alibaba Inc. and a Consultant in International Trade with trading partners in the United States, China, Canada, Mongolia, Cameroon, Uzbekistan, Turkey, the United Kingdom, Germany, Indonesia, Belize, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Pakistan, and Mexico.
She is also one of the founders of Build Champions, a South Carolina non-profit with the objective of building child champions.
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Let’s now leave Junior engla to finish the term of his father then 2026 those of other political party can come in.reason being we can’t contest with an orphan
Dr. Amol. What a woman.