Obongi, Uganda: Former Obongi County MP Hon. Fungaroo Hassan has declared his bid to reclaim the constituency’s parliamentary seat in the 2026 elections, rallying residents under the theme “Re-Uniting the Obongians and Consolidating the Peace.”
Hon. Fungaroo, who lost the seat in 2021 to NRM’s Dr. George Bhoka, said his comeback campaign will focus on restoring unity after violent clashes that marred the recent NRM primaries in Palorinya Sub-County. Several residents were injured in the chaos, with some still nursing wounds at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Speaking to hundreds of supporters at Palorinya Trading Centre, Fungaroo unveiled a football-driven peace initiative dubbed the Obongi Peace Tournament. The competition will run at the sub-county level before culminating in a district final on October 9, 2025, Independence Day.
Fungaroo said football was chosen as “the most appropriate and universal means” to foster unity among divided communities.
He further revealed that respected elders led by Mzee Agani Joseph, alongside opinion leaders, women, and youth, have committed to a peace dialogue aimed at healing divisions and rejecting politically motivated violence.
“I am making a humble plea to the sub-county leaders and youths of Palorinya to bury the hatchet and refocus on development,” Fungaroo said, stressing that he is willing to work with NRM leaders, arguing that parties are “meant for competing on developmental ideas, not breeding divisions.”
The former legislator accused the current MP, Dr. Bhoka, of presiding over a collapsing district budget which, he said, has dropped from Shs42bn in the 2019/2020 financial year to just Shs19bn this year despite population growth.
Fungaroo also blamed Moyo district leaders for fueling his political downfall, accusing them of plotting to cut Palorinya off from Obongi after losing access to billions in refugee-hosting funds under USMID and DRDIP projects. He claimed this rivalry sparked violence, displacement, and a hostile propaganda campaign that portrayed him as an enemy of Palorinya.
Hon. Fungaroo first entered Parliament in 2006 after defeating veteran politician Amasi Pataki. He served for 15 years, during which he pushed for the creation of Obongi district, the establishment of Obongi Town Council, and the deployment of a ferry on the River Nile to connect Obongi and Adjumani.
He lost his seat in 2021 in an election marred by violence, including the shooting of a 16-year-old boy during his final rally in Obongi Town Council.
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