The Electoral Commission has started the process to have the parliamentary position left vacant by Jacob Oulanyah filled.
Oulanyah, the elected Member of Parliament for Omoro County in Omoro district died on March, 20, 2022 in the US where he had earlier been admitted with cancer.
On Thursday, the Electoral Commission secretary, Leonard Mulekwah wrote to various political parties asking them to prepare for the forthcoming by-election in Omoro.
“Following the death of the directly elected Member of Parliament for Omoro County Constituency, Omoro district, Rt Hon Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah and the subsequent notification of existence of the above vacancy by the Clerk to Parliament, as required by law, the Electoral Commission has approved a program to fill the vacancy,” Mulekwah said in the notification to the various political parties’ Secretary Generals.
Mulekwah says this is in line with with section 3(i) of the Parliamentary Elections Act 2005.
“This is therefore to request you to take note of this information and to accordingly inform your political party members. You are further requested to submit a list of five members of your party with their two passport size photographs for accreditation to each sub-county in Omoro district and five names for accreditation for the tally centre as observers in the electoral process.”
Program
According to the subsequent tentative program by the Electoral Commission, the by-election in Omoro will be held at the end of May on 26 but this will start with the updating of the voters’ register which will last for six days, starting on Thursday, next week.
Consequently, this will be followed by the display of the register at different polling stations and this will be done between April, 26 and May,4 whereas nomination of candidates will be held on May 12 and 13.
Campaigns will run from May 16 to 24, 2022 before elections are held on May 26.
The ruling NRM party is expected to front deceased Oulanyah’s son, Andrew Ojok to replace his further in Omoro.
