By Kazibwe Jamil
It is rare, indeed almost unheard of, for the chair of an electoral body to personally handle the physical counting of votes. This critical task is usually left to the technical staff, allowing the chair to focus on strategic oversight: crafting robust election guidelines to prevent manipulation, ensuring staff are adequately trained, and guaranteeing the credibility of the electoral process.
But for Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chair, everything revolves around him. He presides over nominations, procures electoral materials, recruits and deploys staff, serves as the commission’s spokesperson, and, as the world watched in Kololo, even counted voters and announced outcomes himself. In effect, Tanga Odoi is the NRM Electoral Commission.
Such overreach is typical of insecure micro-managers who fear that subordinates might outshine them. By ceding no space for others, Tanga has turned what should be a professional, impartial process into a personal show of control. Even when he lost his voice, he insisted on continuing regardless.
The consequences of this mismanagement were predictable. The Kololo primaries produced an unprecedented number of petitions, exposing divisions within the party that could have been avoided with competent oversight.
The debacle laid bare the urgent need for NRM to reconsider its reliance on a single individual whose style undermines rather than strengthens party processes.
It is time for Tanga Odoi, the billionaire who has amassed significant wealth through investments, to step back, let others lead, and allow the party to function professionally. NRM cannot afford to let one man’s ego dictate the outcome of critical elections, especially when the party’s credibility hangs in the balance.
After Kololo, the writing is clear: Tanga Odoi has become the NRM’s worst nightmare.
The writer is an NRM Cadre
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of DailyExpress as an entity or its employees or partners.
Related
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By Kazibwe Jamil
It is rare, indeed almost unheard of, for the chair of an electoral body to personally handle the physical counting of votes. This critical task is usually left to the technical staff, allowing the chair to focus on strategic oversight: crafting robust election guidelines to prevent manipulation, ensuring staff are adequately trained, and guaranteeing the credibility of the electoral process.
But for Tanga Odoi, the NRM Electoral Commission Chair, everything revolves around him. He presides over nominations, procures electoral materials, recruits and deploys staff, serves as the commission’s spokesperson, and, as the world watched in Kololo, even counted voters and announced outcomes himself. In effect, Tanga Odoi is the NRM Electoral Commission.
Such overreach is typical of insecure micro-managers who fear that subordinates might outshine them. By ceding no space for others, Tanga has turned what should be a professional, impartial process into a personal show of control. Even when he lost his voice, he insisted on continuing regardless.
The consequences of this mismanagement were predictable. The Kololo primaries produced an unprecedented number of petitions, exposing divisions within the party that could have been avoided with competent oversight.
The debacle laid bare the urgent need for NRM to reconsider its reliance on a single individual whose style undermines rather than strengthens party processes.
It is time for Tanga Odoi, the billionaire who has amassed significant wealth through investments, to step back, let others lead, and allow the party to function professionally. NRM cannot afford to let one man’s ego dictate the outcome of critical elections, especially when the party’s credibility hangs in the balance.
After Kololo, the writing is clear: Tanga Odoi has become the NRM’s worst nightmare.
The writer is an NRM Cadre
Related
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.