• Updated by Faith Barbara Namagembe at 1334 EAT on Friday 27th May 2022.

The ruling party, National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Andrew Ojok Oulanyah has been declared the winner of the Omoro County MP by-election held on Thursday, May 26. 

Ojok replaces his father, Jacob Oulanyah, the former speaker of parliament who passed away on March 20, 2022, in Seattle, US, where he’d been flown to receive treatment.

The 32-year-old Ojok garnered 14,224 votes out of the 17,454 total votes cast. He trounced Simon Toolit Akecha of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) who polled 1,633, and Forum for Democratic Change’s (FDC) candidate Justine Odong who polled 529.

Odong was FDC’s late replacement for Dick Denis Owani who was allegedly kidnapped a day before his nomination. Terence Odonga (independent) polled 532, Jimmy Walter Onen 88, Oscar Kizza (ANT) 63.

The opposition is crying foul – with NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi claiming that their agents had been arrested overnight by masked goons in addition to bribery and intimidation of voters. The NRM also rode on regional sentiments to campaign against the NUP candidate by telling the electorate that NUP supporters demonstrated against their son in Seattle.

After being chartered in a Uganda Airlines Airbus that cost taxpayers over 2 billion, several Ugandans demonstrated against what they called a reckless expenditure on a single individual earning huge salaries against neglecting the local health system where the majority of Ugandans seek treatment.

ABOUT OJOK

Despite starting humble, studying in village schools in Omoro and Gulu where he trekked about five kilometers daily, Ojok managed to excel when he joined Buganda Road primary school. He became a perfect and head prefect of the school. In PLE, he got aggregate four and joined St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) from S1 to S6.

In 2010, he left Uganda for Algeria on a scholarship to pursue a degree in Computer Science and Mathematics. He is fluent in French, German, English, and local languages.

Ojok returned to Uganda in 2015 and got a job with the National Information Technology Authority – Uganda (NITA-U) where he has held various responsibilities before he was called to join politics.

His core assignment in the seven years was being a relations manager between the Government of Uganda and international corporations such as Microsoft and Oracle. In November 2022, he will be awarded a master’s degree in ICT Management, Policy, and Architectural Design at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi.