REVEALED: Why Lango Parliamentary Group has retained MP Alyek, Old Team

Kampala, Uganda: Members  of Parliament from Lango sub region have re-elected Kole District Woman MP Judith Alyek as the Chairperson of the Lango Parliamentary Group.

On Monday, March 6th, the legislators gathered at Parliament to conduct the election of new office-bearers and unanimously resolved to retain MP Alyek (NRM), Dr. Opio Acuity( Kole North) as the LPG Secretary General, MP Linda Auma (Lira DWR) as the publicity secretary, and Otuke East MP Julius Acon Bua as the treasurer, among others.

MP Nelson Lemba Okello (Maruzi) in Apac district is the only newcomer who was elected as the Vice Chairman of LPG.MP Alyek, who was first elected in 2021 as the Chairperson of LPG, will now serve another two and a half-year term, but during her previous term, she exclusively scored several notable achievements for the people of Lango.Previously, legislators from Lango region had been divided along various lines, but in her first term, MP Alyek and her team successfully contained and reunited MPs to speak one voice.

The team conducted several follow-ups on many presidential pledges, including the famous Lira-Kamdini highway that had remained in an appalling state.This immediately attracted the attention of President Museveni, who swiftly made an impromptu visit to Oyam and subsequently met the MPs and the public to resolve the matter.

The government then embarked on the massive rehabilitation of this highway, whose construction will soon be completed.In 2023, MP Alyek, as the Chairperson of LPG, and her team greatly intervened on the then-escalating insecurity caused by the Karamojong cattle rustlers in Otuke and Alebtong district, a move that eventually attracted immediate intervention by the president, who pitched camp in Otuke to coordinate special operations against cattle rustlers.Through their, President Museveni sanctioned the deployment of UPDF soldiers and other special forces to restore sanity in the area.

They also ensured spirited follow-up on the construction of Akii Bua Memorial Stadium, whose upgrade plan had been stayed by the government.In fact, when it became clear that Akii Bua Stadium had not been included on the list of stadiums to host AFCON matches in 2027, LPG ensured a protracted resistance and later activated numerous engagements both within the parliament and with President Museveni to appeal for the inclusion of this facility.

Recently, President Museveni announced that Akii Bua will now be built by the Egyptian firm under a pre-financing scheme. The team has since visited the site with the Minister of State for Sports, Peter Ogwang.

LPG leadership further presented a critical follow-up report on the implementation of Parish Development Model, PDM and other poverty-eradication programs in Lango by the government.

In one of their many reports, they unearthed that during the 2021–2022 financial year, the government had only disbursed Ugx17million to each of 175 out of the overall 576 SACCOs registered under the PDM program in Lango.LPG is also on record to have directly lobbied President Museveni to consider special intervention by the government to boost commercial agriculture, and it’s the reason why several hand-held tractors are now being distributed within the region.

In another critical issue, the group also lobbied the President to ensure that government pays all the court-awarded livestock compensations arising from several cases filed by those who had lost their cows and other property during various insurgencies over the years.In her new term, Hon. Alyek has pledged to ensure the effective continuation of able and result oriented leadership filled with high level lobbying to the government to foster the socioeconomic wellbeing of Lango people in the education, agricultural, and infrastructural sectors, and massive support for Lango Cultural Institution.

By Ronald Odongo, a veteran Journalist, and Communications Specialist with bias in Good Governance, Peace, Security and Social Affairs of the societyEmail: ronaldodongo@gmail.com