Politics
Echodu Pledges to Reconnect NRM Leadership with Grassroots in Teso Sub-region
NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) aspirant David Calvin Echodu has vowed to close the widening gap between the party’s top leadership and grassroots structures in the Teso Sub-region, pledging stronger engagement and better service delivery for the people.
Speaking after a meeting with delegates from Kumi, Ngora, Bukedea, Kaberemaido, and Kalaki districts, Echodu said the lack of active involvement from the current CEC Chairperson for Eastern Uganda had left party members feeling abandoned and unrepresented.
Delegates openly voiced frustration over the absence of the CEC Chairperson in the region since his election, accusing him of failing to address local concerns or even visit Eastern Uganda.
John Michael Okello, the NRM Chairperson for Ngora District, lamented that since taking office in 2016, he has never met the party’s National Chairman, Gen. Yoweri Museveni. He blamed political brokers for weakening the party’s connection with its base.
“We need a new team that will bridge the gap we have with the national chairperson,” Okello said, also decrying the lack of a CEC office in Eastern Uganda. “Imagine we have district offices but no CEC office. We don’t even know who to contact.”
Richard Ochom, the NRM Chairperson and mayor of Kumi Municipality, cited the poor state of Soroti Regional Referral Hospital as an example of unmet needs, while Joseph Amailem, LCIII Chairperson of Malera Sub-county in Bukedea, stressed that the region has lacked meaningful representation at the highest party levels.
“The people of Bukedea have never seen anyone from the CEC for all those years. Who will take our problems to the chairman?” Amailem questioned.
Maria Gorrety Ajilo, the NRM Chairperson for Kalaki District, noted that the CEC Chairperson only appears during campaign periods. “We want to see our concerns addressed at the grassroots level,” she said.
Echodu said the party must move beyond historical rhetoric to tackle urgent challenges like inadequate health services
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