Pallisa, Uganda: Ben Okiria has officially been sworn in as the new Pallisa District LC5 Chairperson, pledging to prioritise roads, education, health services, environmental protection and effective implementation of government wealth creation programmes.
Okiria, who contested on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, took oath alongside 44 district councillors during a ceremony held at Pallisa District headquarters.
The swearing-in exercise was presided over by Pallisa Chief Magistrate Lydia Kabenda, who also supervised the election of the district speaker and deputy speaker in line with the Local Government Act.
Okiria officially replaces outgoing LC5 Chairperson Patrick Duchu, who earlier handed over instruments of power to Pallisa Chief Administrative Officer Alex Felix Majeme ahead of the transition.
New Speaker, Deputy Speaker Elected
Following the administration of oaths, the councillors were constituted into an electoral college to elect district leadership within council.
Jeremiah Ariong emerged victorious as District Speaker after defeating former Speaker Joshua Omugit by 31 votes to 14.
Chief Magistrate Kabenda later guided the newly elected Speaker into office and urged him to familiarise himself with the legal framework governing council operations. “I advise you to read all legal books such as the Rules of Procedure, the Local Government Act and the Constitution so that you do not derail,” she said.
Ariong subsequently presided over the election of the Deputy Speaker, where Charles Obela defeated Joseph Angura by 33 votes to 11.
Okiria Unveils Executive Committee
After officially assuming office, Okiria presented members of his District Executive Committee for council approval.
The committee includes Fildah Rose Oloit – Vice Chairperson, William Emurwon – Secretary for Works and Technical Services, Dorah Atim – Secretary for Social Services and Didi Opio – Secretary for Finance and Administration.
Residents and leaders who attended the function praised Okiria for balancing representation across the district’s counties.
Fildah Rose Oloit broke down in tears after being unveiled as Vice Chairperson, saying she had not expected the appointment.
Focus on Roads, Health and Environment
In his inaugural speech, Okiria thanked outgoing Chairperson Patrick Duchu for respecting the outcome of the NRM primaries and avoiding an independent candidature. He described Duchu’s decision as a demonstration of political maturity and party loyalty.
Okiria said his administration would focus on strengthening service delivery, particularly in education, healthcare, water access and road infrastructure.
“Our council is going to interest itself in education, health, water, roads and government programmes geared towards improving livelihoods such as PDM,” he said.
The new chairperson also announced plans to promote environmental conservation through compulsory tree planting initiatives led by district leaders.
“Tree planting in Pallisa is going to be a must, starting with leaders because our environment has degraded, making rainfall patterns unpredictable while disasters such as storms continue causing destruction and deaths,” Okiria noted.
He further pledged to work closely with technical staff to ensure smooth implementation of council resolutions and equitable service delivery.
On employment, Okiria warned against corruption in recruitment processes and promised fairness in district job allocation.
“My emphasis is free acquisition of jobs from the District Service Commission and ensuring equitable distribution,” he said.
Okiria also referenced President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s earlier concerns over the poor state of roads in Pallisa during the campaign period.
“As you are aware, President Museveni got angered when he came to Pallisa for campaigns because of the poor state of our roads. I am going to follow up because he said if the problem is money, then we ask for more,” Okiria stated.
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