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| Current and former MPs from Tororo |
BELOW are the results of the last election ahead of what is likely to be contentious elections 2026, with the future of Tororo at stake. SOURCE VISIBLE POLLS.ORG (click to read)
Tororo, Uganda | Remarks by President Yoweri Museveni last week on what was an ordinary visit, could turn out to be decisive in the 2026 elections in the mineral-rich district.
President Yoweri Museveni, among other things, admonished 'Badaama' and Iteso, alleging that each do not want the other to speak their language.
He had a point, but by dwelling on the least of the worries of the residents of Tororo, he reignited fears that the President might not be sensitive enough to matters that have stagnated Tororo's development politically and economically for two decades.
"The issue of friction between the Iteso and Badaama is puzzling. Why would a Mudaama have a problem with an Iteso speaking his own dialect and vice versa?" asked Museveni.
The quest for districts and a city status have divided residents of Tororo and manifested itself in many areas of the lives of the residents.
Key to the conflict is demand by residents of Tororo county for a separate district, alleging marginalization by the Jopadhola ethnicity group.
However, a look at the district chairs over the past 30 years shows leaders have previously come from Busia, Bunyole, Bugwere, even an Atesot. This would contradict the allegation of Jopadhola marginalising others.
There is is also no empirical evidence that one group prevents the other from speaking their language. "This is a figment of the creation of some self- seekers, mostly politicians who ride on ethnicity to seek votes," an expert on Tororo matters said.
"What is the situation like in present day Tororo District. Look at population of the various peoples in Tororo District. Naturally the larger the number, the higher the amount of influence in matters but this should not be to the prejudice of the peoples with lesser numbers! "
Okoth Nyalulu, a long time former RDC and now on the Council of Elders of The Adhola Cultural Institution (TACI) weighed in by saying, "Many people, and without fear of contradiction, even the President, have not understood what is contentious in the 'Tororo question'. The question is not a mere location of the Municipality or Jopadhola against Iteso per se."
"It is a question of Rights. Through the history of migration, the Jopadhola have Heritage and Aboriginal Rights over the whole Tororo. Tororo was acquired and secured through pouring blood by our ancestors, and it became a Heritage for the Jopadhola," Nyalulu explained to LJ Files.
On the quest for a city, Nyalulu remarked, "Is there a demand for a City in Tororo and the answer is Yes. Tororo Municipality, and even the Town before it was the third most industrialized in Uganda and it is a gate way to Uganda by road and potentially by air," elder Nyalulu remarked recently."
He went to add that "Tororo Municipality was one of the eleven Municipalities that implemented the program of Uganda Support for the Municipal Infrastructure Development, (USMID). All the other ten have been elevated to City status except Tororo."
As the debate raged in the past week on social media, Kampala lawyer Charles Owor concluded that, "Badaama or Jopadhola, whatever you call us... Let us pursue how best to exploit the resources for everyone's benefit, whether you arrived and settled in yesterday or were there a long time ago! We share a common destiny and strive to pursue common goals!"
The Deputy Prime Minster (Deputy Jago) of TACI, Jag Adrian Owor jumped into the debate, worried that there is a misunderstanding about the issues in Tororo.
"I find the use of Teso in many comments about Tororo disturbing. Whereas there are Iteso living in Tororo district there is no Teso in Tororo. People should make a distinction between Iteso (the people) and Teso (a subregion which starts from Bukedea district to Katakwi)."
The issue of Tororo county taking over the historical headquarters of the Jopadhola plus the Tororo Rock has created unease for decades. In 2019, current Uganda Defence Minister Oboth Oboth raised it to a religious level, saying Tororo town was 'our Jerusalem' in parliament in 2019.
A team had earlier been sent to London to try resolve the impasse, by looking at old maps, but it came to naught.
Oboth argued in parliament that, "what took us to London archives was not about boundaries but the historicity of ethnic settlements in Tororo. The boundary dispute is between who and who? East Budaama and West Budaama, Jopadhola and Iteso live together. Both sides are mixed through inter-marriages."
History Prof Pontian Okoth was more categorical.
"There is no fight between the Iteso and Japs, they have existed with each other for a long time and now genetically entangled, so the fighting was brought to divert the thinking. The Iteso in Tororo never came from Soroti but instead from Kenya as you can see in the map and have never had issues with the Japs."
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Status of
Tororo district Constituencies
Ahead of 2026
decider! Tororo issues
Data compiled
by Louis Jadwong Polls 2026 Ltd
(✳source
VISIBLE POLLS.org)
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NAME
|
INCUMBENT
|
Others
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tororo
Municipality Constituency
|
Apollo Yeri Ofwono
National Resistance Movement
✳
5,169 votes
|
Okware Edward
✳
4,564 votes
Raganyi Ibrahim Yusuf
✳
1,174 votes
Olweny Charles
✳1,034
votes
Emojong Deogratius
✳
686 votes
Ayeyo Silvanus
✳
182 votes
Othieno Romanus
✳
78 votes
Ochwo Godfrey
✳
67 votes
Kaikede Olowo John Stephen
✳
36 votes
|
|
West
Budama Central Constituency
|
Oboth Marksons Jacob
National Resistance Movement
Candidate (MP).
✳ 12,084
votes
|
Okoth Geoffrey Oita
✳7,610
Oturo Jesse Eridad
✳
468 vote
Kirya Moses Isiko
✳
376 votes
Onno Zachariah
✳
167 votes
Oluka John Paul
✳
103 votes
Laaro Peter Ayeka
✳
50 votes
Oketch Ojiek Lazzarus
✳
0 votes
|
|
West
Budama South Constituency
|
Otiam Emmanuel Otaala
National Resistance Movement
✳
13,648 votes
|
Owor Franklin
✳
4,603 votes
Akika Emmanuel Othieno
✳
3,527 votes
Katandi Joseph
✳
739 votes
Ongawi Kennedy
✳
386 votes
Oguti Albert Mathias
✳
75 votes
|
|
West
Budama North Constituency
|
Ochai Maximus
National Resistance Movement
✳10,981
votes
|
Othieno Okoth Richard
✳
9,856
Owori John Paul
✳1,584
votes
Okello Peter Jabweli
✳
784 votes
Alira David Pechokisika Opii
✳278
votes
Akichere Gloria Oburu
✳
175 votes
Okongo Leo
✳
85 votes
Aluki George
✳
24 votes and lost the election
|
|
West
Budama North East Constituency
|
Odoi Oywelowo Fox
National Resistance Movement
✳
11,398
|
Ogandi Denis Peter
✳ 7,171 votes
Nyero Vincent
✳ 1,572 votes
Osinde Owor Okongo Jimmy
✳
1,051 votes
Kayala Micky
✳
176 votes
Osinde Benard
✳ 100 votes
|
|
Tororo
North Constituency
|
Ekanya Geofrey
Forum for Democratic Change
✳ 9,674 votes
|
Nyakecho Annet
✳
9,563 votes
Othieno Godfrey
✳
5,834 votes
Ekileut James Peter
✳
201 votes
Obbo Johnson
Independent
✳131
votes
Otabong Charles Jonjo
✳
122 votes
Kalani Isaac
✳51
votes
|
|
Tororo
women MP position
|
Achieng Sarah Opendi
Candidate for Women Representative
(MP) - Tororo
National Resistance Movement
candidate.
✳
76,662 votes
|
Ayo Jancita
Independent
✳
69,011 votes
Abbo Rose Mary Owere
✳
7,398
Ojaka Diana
✳
2,991 votes
Abwin Sarah Emojong
✳
1,290 votes
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Clamor for district
The clamor for districts in Uganda started in the 80s, and saw one of the then biggest districts in the country Tororo (once also called Budama and was part of Bukedi) reduced to a shell.
Residents of of Tororo county demanded a district that included Tororo town, and a man in Molo subcounty ate a live rat in front of President Museveni in 2005 to demonstrate their desire.
Elders of Padhola had no issue with a district being offered to those of Tororo country, but said it should not be linked to having Tororo town, now municipality, as their capital. They advised a new capital be named from their area.
It is important to note that President Yoweri Museveni soon after in 2006 granted the new district with the headquarters to be located in Mukuju. The Iteso rejected the headquarters in Mukuju claiming Tororo town was their land.
The Jopadhola were enraged as they insist Tororo is their land and headquarters, and cannot just be given out like that.
President Yoweri Museveni also directed that the matter be resolved using the “colonial boundaries” in order to determine where the municipality should be located in the event of a split of the district.
At that point, Professor Oloka Onyango spoke out .
The Makerere University don argued against this in 2017, saying that, " Where a new district has been created, the towns/municipalities have remained the headquarters of the old “mother” district. All the new districts have established new headquarters. This has created a precedent followed without exception. "
" I appeal to the good sense of every citizen of Tororo specifically and Uganda in general to emerge from this narrow, sectarian and selfishly-motivated politicking. Has the creation of 78 new districts since 1995 really improved service-delivery at the local government level?," Onyango argued in a 2017 presentation.
Expert insist that if the main contention is not so much as the creation of these would be ethnic based district, but the location of Tororo Municipality; then against the precedent mentioned by Prof. Oloka Onyango, elevate it to city status and then no one has ethnically based claim to it and it becomes another district with no ethnic connotation. Lately, even smaller towns have become cities!
.jpg) |
A map of West and East Budama that
originally formed Tororo district |
Origins of Tororo districtBukedi District was a subdivision of the Eastern Province of the Uganda Protectorate, with headquarters in Mbale. In the early 1920s Bukedi was divided into the Budama, Bugisu and Bugwere districts.
These were recombined into Mbale District during World War II (1939–1945), then split in 1954 into a new, smaller Bukedi District to the west and Bugisu District to the east, sharing Mbale Township as their administrative headquarters. In 1968 the administrative headquarters of Bukedi District were moved to Tororo. Later Bukedi District was split up into a number of smaller districts.
In all these arrangements, Bugwere and Bugisu were separated again, and Bugwere was again combined with Budama to create Bukedi District. The district contained the counties of Pallisa, Budaka-Bugwere, Bunyole, West Budama, Tororo, and Samia-Bugwe.
All these have in the 80s and 90s broken off, leaving a shell of Tororo.
Tororo historically comprised West and Eastern Budama, according the Prof Pontian Okoth who has written a book on the history of Padhola from 1500.
According to Prof Okoth, at some point, the colonial state was thrown into confusion by the state of disunity among Jopadhola clans and between the Jopadhola and the Iteso community based in Tororo.
The Nyapolo Ogule clan which was the dominant clan and predominantly catholic wanted to rule Padhola. This could not be allowed by the other clans, most of which were Protestants. They had many of their children who had obtained formal education, they also had the support of the colonial state.
The Iteso wanted a special status because of their numbers that had arrived from Kenya .
The Jopadhola could not allow this kind of development noting Budama was their land.
Jopadhola elders always argued that this would result in ethnically based administrative units which would fail to take cognizance of the history and aboriginal claims of the Japs.
The colonial state had nevertheless decided in 1938, to divide Budama County into East and West making two County headquarter for easy administration.
West Budama remained with the original headquarter at Kisoko while East Budama had its headquarter at Mukuju. Both headquarters were equidistant (6 miles) from the Main Post office at Tororo. Both religions and inter-clan conflicts were serious problems in Padhola.
Tororo, being a key railway and road link to Kenya and the rest of the country, was still the third most powerful industrial town in Uganda by the time NRM came to power in 1986.
The rest of the people in Tororo preferred that instead of Tororo being part of the new district being demanded for, it becomes a city to serve all.
Kwar Adhola's stand
Kwar Adhola Moses Stephen Owor, 98, is the King and cultural head of the Jopadhola. He has been consistent on stating that Tororo welcomes visitors for the sake of harmony. Indeed Tororo was at one time referred to as the "United Nations of Uganda" because of many tribes living peacefully together.
Kwara has previously had face to face discussions with both the late Emorimor Papa Osubani and the current one Emoloit and gave them the message; unity of purpose, even with diversity in cultures.
That has been his stand even in meetings with President Yoweri Museveni, where he has actually stated that the Jopadhola have no problem being to referred to, as they rightly should, as Badaama.That was the source of the names West Budama and East Budama.
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Deputy Katikkiro of Buganda Ssendaula (left) delivers a message from
The Kabaka of Buganda Ronald Mutebi to
King of the Jopadhola, the Kwar Adhola Moses Owor.
The Adhola Kingdom Prime Minister Josel Obbo is middle.
This was at the Adha Adhola funeral rites in Tororo in 2017 |
He explained that the name Wadama originated from a mis presentation of the word "widoma" in Dhopadhola meaning you will see or you have seen my strength or might. When enemies heard the Jopadhola warriors chanting this they thought that was the name of the people fighting them. Hence Wadama instead of widoma.
However Prof Pontian Okoth is not having any of it.
"There is no need for unnecessary confusion. What is wrong with calling ourselves Jopadhola? We should always remember that we are descendants of Adhola. That is the original history 'widoma' 'wadama' ' Badama',etc,true but these were later concoctions. Let us, therefore, return to our roots, I suggest, without insinuating that the debate ends."
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RELATED STORIES
King of the Jopadhola Moses Owor says Tororo for all, calls for unity (click to read)
https://www.independent.co.ug/king-jopadhola-moses-owor-says-tororo-calls-unity/
An abridged history of Padhola, 1500 - 1999
https://www.independent.co.ug/an-abridged-history-of-padhola-1500-1999/
Jopadhola emboldened by Luo elders’ visit, says Adhola king
https://www.independent.co.ug/jopadhola-emboldened-by-luo-elders-visit-says-adhola-king/
Colonial boundaries no solution to Tororo District split controversy
https://www.independent.co.ug/colonial-boundaries-no-solution-tororo-district-split-controversy/
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