At least 14 individuals have shown interest in vying for the position of Dokolo District Woman representative in Parliament, left vacant after the passing of the incumbent, Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal, on January 18.
The electoral laws mandate the filling of the vacant seat within 60 days. The late Ogwal’s family has endorsed her daughter, Dr Rosemary Alwoc Ogwal, as the successor, with the decision on running as an Independent, National Resistance Movement (NRM), or Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) candidate pending.
Dr Alwoc is joined by 13 other candidates, including Ms Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party and Ms Janet Rose Adong Elau of NRM, who both contested against the late Ogwal in the 2021 General Election but were unsuccessful.
The Electoral Commission (EC) has released the by-election roadmap, setting the polling date for March 21. Justice Simon Byabakama, the EC chairperson, visited Dokolo District to engage with stakeholders ahead of the election, urging their cooperation and support for successful mobilization and sensitization.
Notably, the EC chairperson mentioned additional vacancies at the Local Government Council levels, prompting the use of this exercise to fill those gaps. These include the councillor position for Adakmon Parish in Dokolo Sub-county and that of Bata Sub-county councillor representing older persons, both left vacant due to the demise of the office holders. The third position to be filled is the Bata Sub-county male youth councillor, following the resignation of the incumbent.
Dr Alwoc Ogwal emphasized transparency as a key concern, particularly ensuring the registration of eligible voters, especially those who turned 18 since 2021.
The by-election roadmap includes the update of the voters’ register from yesterday until February 15 at all stations in each of the 71 parishes/wards in the district. February 15 is the cut-off date for applying for voter registration and transfer of voting location.
The display of the voters’ register is scheduled from February 21 to March 1, while the nomination of candidates will take place on March 11 and March 12. Successful candidates will conduct campaign meetings from March 13 to March 19, leading up to the polling and tallying of results on March 21 for by-elections of councillors representing special interest groups.
