Among my good news of the week are reports that during the primaries of the ruling National Resistance Movement for selecting its candidates for the 2026 general election, Ibaseret Josephine took on and walloped six men to clinch NRM flag bearer for Augule County in Pallisa District
Hearty congratulations to Ibaseret for breaking a glass ceiling in Pallisa and in a spectacular way. To the best of my knowledge Ibaseret is the first woman ever to contest for a constituency seat in Pallisa. She has opened the door for the rest of us daughters of Pallisa to dare.
And Ibaseret garnered a solid 37% of the vote, 6,106 votes; beating the next candidate by a nearly 50% margin. Hon. Polycarp Ogwari and Hon. David Ochwa got 3,332 and 3,328 votes, respectively.
Bishop Simon Peter Oullo and Herbert Okello each got 1,754 votes and the other two, did not even managed 200 votes each – Patrick Okiring got 191 votes and Denis Sam Okiria got 74 votes.
This is only the beginning for Ibaseret who faces a huge challenge head. Coming from challengers from other political parties and as well as from within her own party from those disgruntled men she beat who may decided to contest as independents.
Reality is that the voter turnout for NRM primaries in Agule County was 42% of the 39,069 registered voters. While it seems unlikely, because Pallisa is generally an NRM stronghold these days, it is still numerically feasible for an opposition candidate to win.
Ibaseret’s pledge to “unite Agule behind a common agenda of poverty eradication, household economic empowerment, and transparent leadership,” is refreshing and it resonates well among her constituents, and the wider Pallisa District.
After all, Pallisa District is among areas of Uganda which have the highest concentration of poor people, with a poverty density of more than 100 people per square kilometre who are living on less than a dollar a day. Read more…
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