By Otim Nape
Veteran politician Rebecca Otengo used the Christmas holiday to announce she won’t be returning to elective politics any time soon. A former Alebtong woman MP (2011-2016), Otengo is now Uganda’s Ambassador to AU and she is based in Addis Ababa where she coordinates many sensitive diplomatic assignments for the President. AU is one aspect of diplomacy that Museveni greatly values perhaps only next to Washington, London and New York. Why? Its where all the required consensus for the more than 50 African states is generated before African big men can speak on the world stage with one voice. It was there that Sam Kutesa’s bid to become President for UN General Assembly was concretized making him the African candidate. AU’s importance to Museveni’s political calculus further manifested in the way he unsuccessfully worked hard to get his blue eyed girl Specioza Kazibwe replace Dr. Nkosezana Zuma as Chairperson of African Union Commission (AUC) which oversees the running of the secretariat in Addis. So being deployed there to oversee Uganda’s interests at that level has given Otengo a lot of clout which sources close to her say has made her realize she can serve her country better at that level than returning to the very murky unpredictable local politics of ours. “She has found peace and having adjusted very fast, she is now doing what she likes,” says a source in Uganda’s AU Mission in Addis.
MEETS LANGO ELDERS;
Otengo, who famously was the first strong UPC cadre in Lango to risk embracing Museveni in the period between 2006 and 2011, used the Christmas recess to meet elders and opinion leaders to explain her decision not to return to the local political trenches. Venue was her country home in Apara Sub County Alebtong district in Moroto County. In 2016, Otengo whose successful gamble inspired many other Lango politicians to embrace Museveni more openly, abandoned Alebtong woman MP Seat for which she was pioneer and stood for Moroto County MP Seat but narrowly lost to Sam Okwir, an obscure political figure whose lukewarm performance as a legislator has since lowered the profile of the constituency that UPC’s Obua prominently represented before. This has created nostalgia in the voters favoring Otengo’s return for 2021. “I’m here to announce to you that I’m not accepting your pleas to contest again in 2021. I have decided to concentrate on serving my country at the diplomatic level and I have found a lot of space to excellently render that service in Addis. It was nice politically working with all of you previously but there comes a time when one has to say good bye and it’s what I’m here to do officially because there has been a lot of speculation on whether I’m coming back or not. I’m grateful to all of you who have been reaching out urging me to stand for the MP Seat in 2021,” Otengo announced before more than 1,000 opinion leaders gathered at her home on Saturday 23rd December. The announcement provoked tearful protestations from the gathering with Alebtong district speaker and former LC5 Chairman stepping forward to plead with her to reconsider her decision. The Reverend who represented the clergy joined the duo in begging her to reconsider but Otengo stood her ground politely telling them this was a well thought out decision. Some in the crowd chorused threatening to forcefully nominate her in 2021 “because it’s only you to liberate us from Okwir’s inept representation in the August House.” When normalcy returned at the meeting, with people done crying, Otengo addressed the leaders about the huge court costs she has to pay to her opponent Okwir having lost her bid to challenge his election in 2016. “That was a very unfortunate process but you don’t have to be worried that debt we shall pay. In fact it’s already being handled,” she said before announcing how she intends to remain politically engaged with the Alebtong community, a district Museveni created at her prompting as a new convert from UPC (curving it from Lira). “I will only be coming here to engage and work with you to campaign for our dear President and that we are going to start early because you all see how the electioneering season has started early this time round.” She assured the gathering she would remain available and accessible to them as part of the broader coordination aimed at ensuring Museveni sweeps votes in Lango again. For comments, call, text or whatsapp us on 0703164755.
