Bonny Okema, a phone technician along the main street told URN while laughing that he was shocked by the rare view of the presidential hopeful. Okema explained that he had thought that the country`s youngest presidential candidate was an artist shooting his video since he was moving with youth who visibly looked like street gangs.
Uganda’s
youngest presidential candidate, John Katumba surprised Gulu city dwellers on Saturday
when he walked along the main street with two bodyguards and another person
carrying his campaign poster. The 24-year-old
Katumba was in Gulu City to canvas support for his presidential bid.
Bonny Okema, a phone technician along the main street told
URN while laughing that he was shocked by the rare view of the presidential
hopeful. Okema explained that he had thought that the country`s youngest
presidential candidate was an artist shooting his video since he was moving
with youth who visibly looked like street gangs.
According to Okema, it was not until he heard the youths
chanting our president, saw the armed police guards and campaign poster when
he realized it a presidential candidate. Katumba was dressed in a navy blue
khaki suit, pink shirt and black shoes.
Mary Akello, another voter said that she was shocked when Katumba visited the
Gulu Main Market surrounded by a group of youth and started addressing vendors
and passersby. The 34-year- old Akello said it was her first time seeing a
presidential candidate moving freely and looking casually.
Katumba, who spent almost an hour moving along Gulu City`s
major roads including Lagara, Coronation, and Moroto road, later addressed a
handful of people in front of Gulu Main Market as they cheered him on. He told
the residents that he wasn’t campaigning but touring the country to ascertain the
problems people are facing in order to advocate for change.
He decried the appalling livelihoods of Gulu residents, persistent electricity
blackout, poor roads, poor education and exorbitant taxation of vendors.
//Cue in: ‘’I saw that…
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Katumba, who campaign for less than twenty minutes, pledged to promote talent
among youths, create equal employment opportunities, free education and
establish cooperation for women in order to improve their livelihoods once
elected into office.
Emmy Daniel Ojara is a young journalist and has been practicing since 2013, during which he covered land rights violation in the contested Apaa and Lakang in Amuru as his first take ups while at Gulu Fm, Favor Fm and later Paidha Fm and Speak Fm where he is still attached.
Human rights abuses and denied access to land by security and government agencies has been the major aftermath of the contest over the lands. The underprivileged such as women, children and the elderly faced challenges in accessing soc
