Pallisa, Uganda: For more than a decade, Catherine Achola remained one of the most persistent faces in Pallisa District politics, repeatedly contesting for Parliament despite a series of painful defeats that would have forced many others out of the political arena.
Today, the newly elected Pallisa District Woman Member of Parliament says that persistence, patience and remaining close to ordinary people are what finally carried her to victory.
Achola’s political journey stretches back to 2011 when she first entered the race for the Pallisa Woman MP seat, beginning what would become a long and difficult quest for Parliament.
Over the years, she unsuccessfully challenged several powerful National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidates, including Agnes Ameede, Faith Alupo and later Kevin Kaala Ojinga.
Despite the setbacks, Achola never disappeared from the political scene.
“While on a brief press interaction, Achola said the magma of becoming a Member of Parliament boiled in her and made her remain with her people,” she explained after officially taking oath as a legislator in the 12th Parliament.
“I lost to Agnes Ameede, Faith Alupo and in 2021 to Kevin Kaala Ojinga who were all flag bearers of NRM, but this time my people of Pallisa voted for me overwhelmingly,” she said.
From FDC politics to NRM
Achola’s political path has also reflected Uganda’s shifting opposition and ruling party dynamics over the last decade.
In her first two attempts, she contested under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), at a time when the opposition party still enjoyed strong influence in parts of eastern Uganda.
However, after years of battling the political weight of the ruling NRM, Achola later crossed to the government side in 2020.
She says the transition was partly influenced by NRM Eastern Region Vice Chairperson Capt. Mike Mukula, who officially welcomed her into the ruling party.
“In the first two attempts I was subscribing to FDC and after feeling the weight of NRM I decided to join the ruling party wagon which Captain Mike Mukula ushered me into in 2020,” she said.
Shortly after joining NRM, Achola contested in the party primaries against then incumbent Kevin Kaala Ojinga and Agule County MP Josephine Ibaseret.
Although she lost the primaries, she insisted the outcome did not reflect the support she enjoyed on the ground. “The outcome of primaries angered my people and I picked forms to challenge Kaala,” she recalled.
She later contested as an Independent candidate in the 2021 general elections but again fell short.
Humble roots and professional background
Born in Kakusi Village in Kibale Sub-county, Kibale County in Pallisa District, Achola is the daughter of the late John Alfred Osupelem, a retired Primary Teachers’ College principal, and the late Agwang Penniah Osupelem.
Her mother passed away shortly after the NRM primaries, a moment she previously described as emotionally devastating during her political journey.
Achola holds qualifications in Social Work and Social Administration as well as a Diploma in Secondary Education majoring in English Language and Literature.
Before joining active politics full-time, she worked with various communities for more than 15 years in different managerial and social development roles.
Friends and supporters describe her as deeply grounded in grassroots mobilisation and community engagement.
Politics of resilience
Political observers in Pallisa say Achola’s eventual victory was built less on political structures and more on resilience and constant community presence.
Even after multiple defeats, she reportedly remained active in village meetings, women empowerment initiatives, SACCO mobilization and social programmes across the district. Her supporters argue that many voters gradually began viewing her as a symbol of determination and consistency.
Throughout her campaigns, Achola positioned herself as a unifying figure capable of bridging ethnic and political divides in Pallisa, partly because of her fluency in both Ateso and Lugwere, the district’s dominant local languages.
Agenda for Pallisa
As she begins her parliamentary term, Achola says her priorities will focus on girl-child education, poverty eradication, environmental restoration and attracting investment into the district.
She expressed concern over school dropout rates among girls in Pallisa, saying only a small percentage complete the full primary education cycle. “My emphasis will be retention of girls in school because only about 25 percent of those who enrol in Primary One complete the primary education cycle,” she noted.
She also pledged to support agro-business programmes aimed at improving household incomes and reducing poverty among rural communities.
On environmental conservation, Achola says she intends to champion tree planting initiatives to help restore degraded ecosystems and address changing weather patterns affecting agriculture in the district.
She further promised to lobby investors to establish businesses in Pallisa in order to create jobs and expand economic opportunities for the youth.
For Achola, her arrival in Parliament is not simply the end of a political struggle, but the beginning of a long-awaited opportunity to turn years of grassroots mobilisation into national representation.
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