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Cecilia Ogwal who was the women member of parliament for Dokolo District died on 18th January and was buried last Saturday on 27th at Dog-Gudu village, Alito Sub-county in Kole district. She succumbed from cancer in a hospital in India. Her family says the cancer was discovered very late and the doctors couldn’t do anything much to prolong her life.
Her candle burned out at 77 years and had been in parliament for 28 years having gone their in the early 1990s for the constitutional assembly that promulgated the current 1995 constitution of the republic of Uganda.
She has been praised as a person who spoke for the common person, a person whose voice challenged and created impact in parliament. According to president Museveni, Cecilia hated politics of hatred.
Cecilia Ogwal became the fourth member of parliament in the 11th parliament to die, she followed Former Speaker and Omollo county MP Jacob Oulanyah and Serere country MP Patrick Okabe who died in 2022 and Col Charles Okello Engola who died in 2023.
After her demise, the Dokolo Women MP slot automatically fell vacant though electoral commission hasn’t yet announced her position vacant but will soon do so. The battle for who to replace her has already been ignited and battle lines are yet to be drawn from 7 candidates and more to join the race.
The tough battle for who to replace Ogwal in the 11th parliament has already set strides with aspiring candidates now actively engaging their voters ahead of a by election which will soon be held in the coming months.
As relatives continue mourning, seven women are already in the queue to replace the iron lady. Among these include Sarah Aguti Nyangkori of the UPC party and Janet Rose Adong Elau of NRM who contested against her in the 2021 general elections. The others include Dr Anna Grace Lalam, Beatrice Molly Abang who is the Dokolo district NRM chairperson), Lilian Auma Okullo, Rebecca Arao (who is a Dokolo district councilor representing workers) and Harriet Ageno Menidiro
FDC which the deceased subscribed to is yet to find a replacement for Ogwal though reports also suggest friends and relatives are proposing one of Ogwal’s daughter takes on the mantle to replace her mother.
From the precedence set in the past, Ogwal’s daughter would stand higher chances of winning if the people of Dokolo say so. Look at Baroda Kayanga (who replaced her mother late mother Rehema Watongola), Andrew Ojok (replaced his late dad Jacob Oulanyah), Emmanuel Omoding (replaced his late father Patrick Okabe), Florence Andiru Nebanda (replaced her late sister Serina Nebanda). Only Oyam North rejected Samuel Engola Okello who wanted to replace his late dad Col Charles Okello Engola last year.
Credit: Daily Monitor.
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