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CALM DOWN: ARUA CITY NRM POLL WINNERS TELL OPPONENTS, SUPPORTERS
BY RICHARD DRASIMAKU
ARUA: FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2025
After executing successful campaigns in the National Resistance Movement parliamentary Primary elections, the winners have appealed to their losing opponents and supporters to calm down.
One such winner is Eng William Taylor Tiyo who after a clean sweep of poll victory anchored on Isaiah 55:8-9, the scripture that was also the family’s chose theme of the year 2025/2026.
It was a hectic campaign muddled with chaotic scenes in a highly charged atmosphere, but throughout the turbulence, Eng William Taylor Tiyo Odaa, kept his composure and confidence.
He was calmness personified in his campaign that it brought back the decades old memories of his legendary grandfather who was a key member of Uganda’s independence legislature.
“Your ways are not my ways. Your thoughts are not my thoughts,” so says the scripture, that Eng Tiyo remained unfazed when opponents derided him as a candidate without cash to dish out to supporters.
And as some people moved from one campaign venue to another with intoxicated followers on back of trucks, Tiyo concentrated on mobilizing supporters to turn up at every rally venue.
“I want to thank God and the people of Ayivu East constituency for trusting us and voting for me. This win is your win,” he said.
Eng Tiyo said his candidature was a response to community’s call for him to stand for the position of Ayivu East Constituency MP which had attracted about five candidates.
Unlike a typical Ugandan politician who would make a litany of promises in a campaign rally, Eng Tiyo declined to make specific pledges to the people, saying that he will ask them to tell him what he should do for them because as voters they know their own problems.
He said if the people tell him that their problem needs tents, plastic chairs or funding to strengthen village savings and loan associations, he will gladly extend his financial support knowing that the people will own such initiatives driven by their own passion.
He called the win a journey that was 75% walked and urged his opponents and their supporters to join him to complete the remaining 25% of the journey in the next year’s general election.
Eng Tiyo will face opposition and possibly independent candidates in the parliamentary race where he will represent the NRM.
In Ayivu West constituency, Fiona Onzima, the female contestant who beat two men to emerge winner has issued similar message to the voters.
Onzima said the primary elections are already over and the Ayivu west NRM supporters now need to unite and work together to promote the party agenda and win over other people who are not aligned with the party’s ideals.
“Thank you the voters of Ayivu West for voting for me to take the NRM flag. I wouldn’t have got all the votes because we were three candidates, so, it’s okay that some people voted for other candidates,” said Onzima.
She said in the era of so many propaganda and distorted information flooding the voters, she stuck to telling the truth that won the confidence of the Ayivu people.
She has promised to institute youth skilling programs, work to ensure improved health service delivery and safe water provision and improvement of road and electricity supply to the urban constituency.
She added that her win should serve as an encouragement to the girl-child to inspire them take up leadership positions.
“There is a saying that what a man can do, a woman can do better, so, young ladies out there, do not shy away from political leadership,” she said.
In the Central Division, Jackson Atima said he fought so much to ensure that his agents avoided entanglement in chaos much as his opponents sought to create avenues for physical confrontation.
He attributed his success to excelling in fulfilling the mandate that was given to him by the people in the previous election.
People have come to know me to be a transparent, objective and corruption free leader.
Right from my upbringing I was raised to desist from corruption, in my work as hospital administrator (zero tolerance to theft of drugs and nonmedical items) and with German development services as a logistics officer (zero tolerance to theft of items for refugees).
This has endeared him to the people and help maintain the people’s confidence in him and given him several names like “Oya Suru Ku, Oya dini ku” (which means he does not segregate between tribes and religion).
Atima said he knows that loss is painful but urged opponents, especially those who are interested in developing the Central Division to join him in uniting people and fight for common cause.
