Pader, Uganda: Aruu North Member of Parliament, Hon Santa Okot of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has officially launched her bid to retain her parliamentary seat in the 2026 general elections, but with a surprising declaration that she will not present a manifesto.
Speaking during her campaign launch at Atanga Sub-county in Pader District on Monday, November 10, 2025, Okot said Members of Parliament do not have the mandate or resources to implement manifestos, arguing that only the President, who controls state resources, can do so.
“I will not be having a manifesto because the role of an MP is limited to four main responsibilities. The only person who should have a manifesto is the President since he has access to resources and the mandate to implement it,” she said.
Okot, however, pledged to follow up on the implementation of the manifesto of whoever wins the presidency, particularly in areas that affect her constituency. She emphasized the need for improved service delivery in health, agriculture, and poverty reduction.
The legislator urged the government to ensure that every county has a functional Health Centre IV and an ambulance. She noted that Aruu North, with 14 sub-counties, is too large for one health facility and called for the constituency to be split into two for better management.
Okot also decried high poverty levels in Acholi Sub-region, questioning the ruling National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) slogan of “protecting the gains” when, according to her, poverty in Acholi stands at 68 percent.
“I wonder what gains are being protected, apart from the Gulu–Kitgum tarmacked road,” she remarked.
Despite her criticism, Okot commended government efforts to introduce coffee farming in northern Uganda, but urged stronger farmer support through monitoring, sensitization, and the provision of agricultural equipment such as tractors and oxen.
She said she has personally used part of her parliamentary salary and allowances to support her constituents, revealing that she spent 160 million shillings on tree seedlings and 120 million shillings on an ambulance for the county over the last four years.
“I have done what I can with the little I earn, and I will continue supporting Aruu North in every way I can,” Okot affirmed.
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