Jubilant crowds thronged serveral campaign Centres in Labor Sub County on Friday to welcome the State Minister for Fisheries and incumbent Serere District Woman MP, Hon. Hellen Adoa, as she campaigned for re-election as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) flag bearer ahead of the party’s highly anticipated primaries scheduled for July 17, 2025.
Hundreds of excited supporters, waving NRM flags and chanting slogans in support of Adoa, lined the roads leading to the venues.
Youth groups, women associations, boda-boda riders, and local opinion leaders turned up in large numbers to demonstrate their support for the minister, who is seeking a fresh mandate to carry the party’s banner in the 2026 general elections.
Hon. Adoa is facing competition in the NRM primaries from Esther Lucy Acom and Florence Iyogil, both of whom have been traversing Serere District in recent days to woo voters.
The primaries are being closely watched as a test of the ruling party’s grassroots popularity in the Teso sub-region.
Speaking to the cheering crowds in Labor Sub County, Minister Adoa thanked residents for the overwhelming welcome and urged them to remain united and peaceful during the campaign period.
She outlined her vision for agricultural transformation in Serere, pledging to make coffee growing a reality in the district through a pilot program she plans to personally fund immediately after the NRM primaries.
“Immediate after primaries, the next five months with these rains, I am personally going to pick some 15 parishes to be my model,” she told the crowd.
“You know, I want them to be the ones to kick off with the coffee. We want to test, want to see how coffee works in this Serere because we have seen the coffee doing well in other places.”
Adoa added that she was determined to lead by example by buying and distributing quality coffee seedlings to the selected parishes.
“Immediate after these primaries, I want to distribute, personal, I want to buy seedlings and distribute to 15 parishes. That can be a model of, you know, coffee kind of gardens for the rest of the Serere farmers,” she explained.
The Minister noted that coffee has transformed livelihoods in other districts, and with the good rains expected in the coming months, Serere farmers should not be left behind.
She said the pilot project would serve as a learning model for the entire district, with extension officers supporting farmers to ensure success.
Hon. Adoa also used the rally to highlight her achievements over the past term, including lobbying for road maintenance equipment, supporting women and youth groups with income-generating projects, and championing education and health improvements.
Local leaders who spoke at the event praised the Minister’s record, calling her a dedicated and accessible representative who has consistently advocated for Serere at the national level.
Mr. David Otim, an NRM supporter in Labor Sub County, said Adoa’s initiative on coffee was “a game changer.”
“We have been growing millet, cassava, and groundnuts, but the price is always low,” he said. “If coffee succeeds here, our people will have a new cash crop that can transform our homes.”
Ms. Sarah Akol, a women’s group leader, said Adoa had always stood with them.
“When we ask for help for our groups, she listens. Even now, she is saying she will buy the seedlings herself. That is a leader who has our interests at heart,” she said.
Esther Lucy Acom and Florence Iyogil have both criticized the incumbent for what they term “unfulfilled promises” and have been rallying their own supporters across the district.
The NRM district electoral commission has called for calm and fairness as campaigning intensifies, reminding candidates and supporters that the party will only endorse one flag bearer to represent Serere District women in Parliament.
Meanwhile, residents in Labor Sub County say they expect the primaries to be hotly contested but peaceful.
“We want a fair election. Let the people choose freely. But for us here, you see the crowd for Adoa, we are behind her,” said Mr. Robert Epodoi, a boda-boda rider who attended one of the rallies.
As the July 17 primaries approach, all eyes are on Serere District to see whether Minister Adoa’s personal pledges and record of service will be enough to fend off her challengers and secure her another chance to fly the NRM flag in 2026.
For now, the massive turnout in Labor Sub County underscores the high stakes and passionate support that characterize this political contest in Eastern Uganda.
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