As its candidate for the impending Oyam North by-election, the ruling NRM party has chosen Samuel Engola, the late State Minister for Labor Col. Charles Okello Engola’s son.
An event that occurred last month at Kyanja, near Kampala, resulted in the death of retired colonel Engola by shot from his bodyguard, who then turned the gun on himself.
Samuel Engola won the party primary yesterday with 532 votes, defeating Queen Dorothy Amolo with 322 votes after eight other candidates withdrew to support the minister’s son who had recently passed away.
As the party prepares to launch a village-to-village campaign strategy to guarantee that they keep the seat, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong urged all party members to support Engola in a statement made shortly after the election, which was overseen by the chairman of the ruling party electoral commission, Dr. Tanga Odoi.
Samuel Engola promised the party delegates and supporters during his acceptance speech that they will win on July 6.
Rosemary Seninde, the NRM Secretariat’s Director for Mobilization, urged party members to maintain their unity and avoid spreading messages that drive people apart.