The 11th Parliament of Uganda began on May 24, 2021, and its members were sworn in from May 17–20, 2021. Its term will run until 2026.
Lango has a total of 31 legislators, with more than half serving their first term and many have since embarked on consultations ahead of the 2026 elections.
THE NILE TIMES News political desk recently kicked off a special investigation to highlight the midterm performance of these lawmakers both in Parliament and constituencies.
In this Part II, we focused on Amolatar, and Kole districts.
“They may not be so frequently submitting during plenaries or committee meetings, but they talk very aggressively from the Parliamentary Canteen (while enjoying samosa and coffee) and from major corridors of the house.”
In Amolatar district, we zoomed in on the performance of MP James Olobo Dubai of Kioga North, who is serving his first term under the NRM ticket. MP Olobo is a renown NRM cadre whose commitment has been present for a record many years.
A quick look into Hansard reveals that on September 9th, 2021, MP Olobo spoke in Parliament, where he raised the issue of support for flood victims and also appealed to the Energy Ministry to consider diverting electricity poles erected in the lake under Hansard number 3.28, plenary chaired by the late speaker Jacob Oulanya.
From that time on, his record of submissions during plenary sessions remained appallingly low compared to other legislators.
Whereas he is often present in Parliament, MP Olobo is common at the Parliamentary Canteen, cracking jokes in major corridors of the house and once in a while attending committee meetings.
Another quick zoom into Parliamentary camera records shows that, as required by rules of procedure, MP Olobo Dubai is good at thumping his foot on the floor and flashing elongated smiles to chant top contributors of the house like GCW Denis Hamson Obua, MPs Ssemujju, Nsereko, Jonathan Odur, etc. whenever they are making submissions.
His presence on the ground is near above the range, giving him at least a reliable chance to retain his seat come 2027, once a serious opponent comes up. He is among those wishing to seek re-election in 2026.
In Kole district, our team tackled Kole South County, represented by MP Peter Ocen Akalo, who is serving his second term in Parliament on an independent ticket, though UPC-leaning.
He is undeniably a strong mobilizer on the ground, courtesy of his constant appearance in the constituency. Parliamentary Hansard captured little of his record of submission during plenary sessions compared to the records of other legislators serving their second term like him.
He is not known for regular contributions during plenary sessions in Parliament.
Whenever MP Ocen is at Parliament, he often visits the canteen and loves to humorously engage with his other colleagues from the major corridors of the house and be silently present during the plenary sessions.
He usually consults his close colleagues seeking to share his ideas on how to have it slotted during plenary or through other means, thanks to his lobbying ability.
At the committee level, MP Ocen is often present but with minimal submissions, unlike other members. He is also seeking re-election but is destined for a political battle due to several factors.
He risks stiff battle from DD Omedi who contested against him during the 2021 election and narrowly missed, Ambassador Awitong Dickson Ogwang Okul, current Youth MP Boniface Okot and the current LCV Chief of Kole district Andrew Awany among others.
MP Boniface Okot, the Northern Youth legislator on the NRM ticket, is serving his first time in Parliament. Okot has also expressed interest in unseating MP Ocen from Kole South County in 2026.
It is not clear how he will maneuver his way through to secure a seat in the 12th Parliament owing to the fact that his representation in the current house has remained unattractively low and politically faded.
According to Parliamentary Hansard, Youth MP Okot is not a common person whenever it comes to submission during plenaries. His engagement with his constituents is also prominently low.
Recently, he embarked on visiting some sub counties in Kole South to conduct mobilization ahead of 2026. He is also a regular member of the canteen.
Stay tuned for our third edition of this report. We shall focus on Apac, Lira City, and Otuke.
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