MP Kaala Kevin Ojinga accuses her political rivals of orchestrating chaos during the district’s belated Women’s Day celebrations, saying the incident was intended to tarnish her reputation.
Pallisa, Uganda: The Pallisa District Woman MP, Hon. Kaala Kevin Ojinga, has accused her political opponents of sponsoring violence and disruption during the district’s belated International Women’s Day celebrations held last Friday.
Kaala expressed deep regret over the incident, which saw a group of rowdy youth storm the food distribution area, attack women, and hurl stones at trucks, disrupting the function that she says was carefully organized to accommodate guests from all 21 sub-counties.
“I am much aware one of my competitors did it to sabotage my function and ruin my public image, to make it seem like I invited women to suffer, artists to starve, and guests to be beaten,” Kaala said.
The legislator apologized to all those who were manhandled during the fracas and condemned the “barbaric” behaviour, saying it undermines national values like patriotism. She said the act reflected “political immaturity” among her rivals.
Supporters speak out
Ms. Asio Annet, a mobilizer from Kachango village, said the chaos has unsettled many women who had been strong supporters of MP Kaala.
“It is not too late for Hon. Kaala to go on the ground and personally speak to the women who were disturbed. But our biggest challenge is that she is too religious to pursue legal action against those responsible, whom she doesn’t even want to mention by name,” Asio said.
Pastor Okalang John from Opadoi also voiced his disappointment, saying he trained an akogo (thumb piano) performance group composed of respected young people, only for them to be caught in the middle of the chaos and humiliated.
Agama Peter, a resident of Kalaki cell in Pallisa Town Council, acknowledged that while the sabotage may have come from opponents, the ultimate responsibility lay with MP Kaala. “Time will reveal the true person behind the mess. Real supporters should not be shaken by one bad day, unless they are not true supporters,” he said.
Agama further proposed that future celebrations should allow each sub-county to manage its own food catering or distribute food at the entrance to avoid stampedes and ease crowd control.
Augustine Okudel, the head of Kaala’s coordinating team, said they are aware of the individuals behind the disruption but have opted not to pursue legal action due to the charged political season. “We’ve chosen not to press charges. Let the voters decide their fate,” Okudel said.
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