In a dramatic twist in the race for the NRM Vice Chairperson Eastern Region, David Calvin Echodu on Friday scored a major political victory after a group of delegates from Bukedea District boycotted a meeting organized by incumbent Capt. Mike Mukula and instead travelled to attend Echodu’s consultative meeting in Kumi District.
Both Mukula and Echodu are on campaign trails across Teso Sub-region, seeking to win over NRM delegates ahead of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections.
Capt. Mukula, who has held the seat for over a decade, now faces a stiff challenge from Echodu, a youthful philanthropist and political mobilizer, who is promising to inject fresh energy and accountability into the party leadership.
The move by Bukedea delegates to abandon Mukula’s meeting was interpreted by observers as a sign that the political winds may be shifting in favor of Echodu, especially among grassroots mobilizers who are demanding change in the way NRM is managed in the region.
Addressing enthusiastic delegates from Kumi, Bukedea, and Ngora districts at the meeting held in Kumi Municipality, Mr. Echodu called for a transformation in the NRM’s leadership style, stressing that the time for cosmetic politics and empty promises was over.
“This election is not just about positions; it’s about changing how our people are represented. It’s time for a new force in the party, a force that listens, a force that delivers, and a force that unites,” Echodu said to loud applause.
He promised to lobby for the construction of permanent NRM offices in every district and to establish a direct link between the grassroots and the party’s top leadership, particularly President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
Atiang Grace, the NRM Vice Chairperson for Kumi District, said many people had been waiting to meet Echodu in person after hearing of his clean record and development-oriented agenda.
“People have been watching. They’re eager to see a new kind of leadership. We believe in Echodu because he doesn’t only talk; he acts,” she said.
Ngora District Chairperson, John Michael Okello, boldly declared that his district would deliver a “block vote” for Echodu.
He accused current leaders of failing to connect the region to the President and of neglecting the establishment of basic party infrastructure.
“In Kumi, they don’t even have an NRM office. Where do cadres take their cries? We must reject political brokers and rally behind someone who understands our pain,” Okello said.
Opio Solomon, NRM Secretary for Kumi District, noted that many in Teso are frustrated with leaders who treat the party as their personal inheritance.
“President Museveni needs a new team around him, people who believe in service. Echodu has our support because he connects us directly to the top,” Opio remarked.
Kumi Municipality Mayor and NRM flag bearer for MP, Richard Ochom, joined the chorus, challenging Echodu to prioritize the construction of an NRM office in Kumi.
“Anyone who fears change has no direction for the people,” he said.
Augustine Otuko, spokesperson of the Echodu campaign and former NRM researcher, said Echodu’s track record as founder of Pilgrims Africa, an NGO that supported camps during the LRA insurgency and has educated over 3,000 youth, proves he’s a man of action.
He contrasted this with Capt. Mukula’s tenure, criticizing him for failing to attract serious investors to the Soroti Industrial Park despite numerous photo opportunities with prospective developers.
“Over 300 acres are idle while our youth remain unemployed. That is not leadership,” Otuko stated.
On the issue of security and ex-combatants, Otuko acknowledged Mukula’s role in mobilizing youths during the LRA insurgency but said the region’s Arrow Boys have been abandoned.
“Where are the tractors and ox-ploughs that were promised? Iron sheets, cement, support for widows and orphans, all are missing. One senior leader even took a tractor meant for the Arrow Boys. That’s betrayal,” Otuko charged.
He accused some NRM leaders of turning the party and the region into personal property, saying such leaders were running Teso “like a family affair.”
Ambassador Nelson Oceger, who also attended the meeting, emphasized that the NRM is a party for all Ugandans but warned against leadership that breeds division and confusion.
“Competence must prevail. We don’t want leaders who arrest their opponents or frustrate young leaders. We want peace, growth, and integrity,” Oceger said.
As the delegates danced and chanted slogans in support of Echodu, it became clear that the fight for Eastern Uganda’s NRM Vice Chairmanship is far from over.
But for today, in Kumi, Echodu walked away with the upper hand, and possibly, a turning point in the political trajectory of Teso.
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