Son to late Patrick Okabe, Emmanuel Omoding Independent and Alice Alaso of Alliance for National Transformation – ANT have been nominated to contest for the hotly contested Serere County by-elections.
Omoding and Alaso will contest against other three aspirants who are waiting to be nominated.
Others to be nominated include; Emmanuel Eratu FDC, Martin Ongurucho Independent and Philip Oucor.
Sylvia Cheptegei the Serere district returning officer said that they have recieved a total of seven aspirants.
Cheptegei said that among those who had expressed interest included Emmanuel Omoding, son of former area Member of Parliament and veteran politician Alice Alaso.
However, we have learnt that two aspirants Gilbert Etomet and Obore Joel have withdrawn from the race.
Electoral commission has set February 23, 2023 as polling day.
Speaking after his nominations, Omoding said that he is in the race to complete the tasks his father had started.
The former legislator died in a motor accident on Naboa along Mbale-Tirinyi road together with his wife, Christine Okabe on their way to Kampala on December 19, 2022.
Okabe was the founding Bishop of the Mbale City-based Impact Ministries, Faith FM, a Christian radio station, Impact orphanage school, Impact Women Sacco, Rhema High school in Soroti city, Voice of Serere FM and over 157 Women Saccos in Serere Constituency.
According to Omoding, his late father’s dream and hope to make Serere a model County is still standing and through him Serere will surely attain desired change.
“I am going to continue from where my father stopped, i will be in a position to speak to my friends in Australia to support me to change this County. We must save money in order to chase away poverty and if we have money in our households, it will be easy for us to handle other basic needs,” Omoding said.
“When Papa was alive he used to tell me to come home and work for you and here I am ready to work with you and develop you. Several things are going to change in this place,” Omoding added.
A total of over 75,000 are expected to participate in the polls accross 139 polling stations in the entire Serere county constituency.
On her part, Alaso asked the security officials to allow free and fair electoral process.
She also appealed to Voters to vote wisely and avoid noting that her candidature will unite all the divided political sides in Serere.
ANT’s Party President Gen. Mugisha Muntu appealed to the people of Serere to trust in candidate Alaso noting that she is a formidable candidate that will change Serere.