Updated by Faith Barbara Namagembe at 1216 EAT on Saturday 25th February 2023

Emmanuel Omoding, son of the late Patrick Okabe has replaced his father as Serere County MP after winning the by-election held on Thursday. 

Omoding, an independent candidate emerged winner of the hotly contested race with 15,638 votes, beating four other contenders. He was followed by the NRM’s Phillip Oucor with 13,206 votes and Alice Alaso of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) who had 3,335 votes.

Eng Martin Onguruco and Emmanuel Eratu of FDC came last with 2,523 and 1,252 votes respectively, according to results announced last night by Serere district returning officer Sylvia Cheptegei.

Results from at least four polling stations were cancelled because of violence. They include Olumoi PAG Church and Odokai in Atiira sub county, Angole primary school polling station in Kyere sub county and Kangod primary school polling station in Ocaapa Town Council, where cases of malpractices had earlier been reported.

Omoding, a 42-year-old social worker who has been based in Australia joined the race after the demise of his father who died in a motor accident in December last year. He was fronted by the family and several MPs including deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa, and the government chief Whip, Denis Hamson Obua.

But the ruling NRM’s electoral commission chairperson Dr Tanga Odoi objected to the proposal and endorsed Phillip Oucor who had earlier contested for the same seat, a decision which sparked a sharp split in the party structures in Serere.

Unlike the previous by-elections where the NRM secretariat participated in full swing, the Serere by-election was dominated by the party’s national mobilizer Rosemary Sseninde and the party’s director of communications Emmanuel Dombo Lumala.