Opposition reclaims Arua City

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The parliamentary political contest in Arua city has seen opposition candidate Muzaid Khemis of the Forum for Democratic Change reclaiming the Arua Central Division seat.

The city returning officer, Osman Ezale, declared Khemis the winner of the parliamentary seat yesterday morning at the Electoral Commission tally centre in Arua city.

Khemis obtained 6,966 votes, against 5,578 votes garnered by his rival, Jackson Lee Buti Atima of the ruling National Resistance Movement. This means Khemis won with a margin of 1,388 votes.

Ronald Debo, an independent candidate, came third with 3,732 votes, followed by Jackson O’bindu in fourth position with 642 votes. Senior politician Kassiano Wadri, who stood on the Alliance for National Transformation ticket, emerged fifth with 625 votes, while Haddad Salim, an independent, trailed with 248 votes.

In the 2016-2021 term, Khemis served as the chairperson of River Oli division, then under Arua municipality. In 2021, he won the mayoral race and became the first mayor of Arua Central division.

During campaigns, Khemis used the slogan “Again for the local,” which he believes has played a big role in his political career as the population felt that he is the leader who understands their challenges.

On his part, Debo conceded defeat, pledging to work with Khemis to develop Arua city.

“I have followed the tally process up to the end. For me, it was a free and fair process. The declaration forms were complete, they had signatures that corresponded with ours, so I congratulate my brother and I am ready to support him make sure that Arua city is the city we want,” Debo said.

Triumphant voice

Speaking immediately after the declaration, Khemis appreciated the returning offi cer for being transparent throughout the election process.

“My assessment is that there was transparency because I had developed my own tally system, and believe me, there is no difference. What I have in my tally centre and what they have given me here shows that the Electoral Commission in Arua city has been transparent. This shows that I must trust the will of the people,” Khemis said.

With his experience in local government, he pledged to serve his people appropriately by representing their concerns on the floor of Parliament.

“I will make sure that I align all my programmes on the National Development Plan IV in order to articulate it on the floor of Parliament in relation to the key issues that affect the community and improve service delivery,” he added.