Oulanyahs’ rival, NUP's Simon Toolit dies
National Unity Platform’s parliamentary flag bearer in the last year’s Omoro County by-elections, Simon Toolit Aketcha has died.
Toolit, died on Monday morning, however, details surrounding his death have not yet been elaborated.
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The news of his death was confirmed by Omoro county MP Andrew Ojok Oulanyah.
“It is a dark day in Omoro! We have lost one of our gallant sons and former MP, Hon. Simon Toolit Akecha! Hon. Toolit was the MP for Omoro County between 2006 & 2011 and was a candidate in recent by-elections. May his soul rest in eternal peace!” OJok tweeted.
It is a dark day in Omoro!
We have lost one of our gallant sons and former MP, Hon. Simon Toolit Akecha!
Hon. Toolit was the MP for Omoro County between 2006 & 2011 and was a candidate in the recent by-elections.
May his soul rest in eternal peace! 🕊🕊@NRMOnline @NUP_Ug pic.twitter.com/OGnR98t5vV
— Ojok Andrew Oulanyah, MP (@AndrewOulanyah) January 16, 2023
Toolit put up stiff political resistance against the late Jacob Oulanyah before also competing against his son Andrew Ojok Oulanyah.
Toolit will be remembered as a candidate to have competed against the Oulanyah’s while holding the flag for two different parties for under ten years.
In 2016, Toolit, then a candidate of Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) contested against NRM’s Jacob Oulanyah and polled 6,823 votes against the latter’s 8,218 votes.
However, Toolit alleged that the poll had been rigged, dragging Oulanyah to court.
In the process of the hearing of the petition, Toolit was allegedly kidnapped by unknown men whom he said threatened him to withdraw the poll petition against Oualanyah.
He was later dumped in Kamwokya, a Kampala Suburb. In his defence, Oulanyah refuted claims he was involved in Toolit’s kidnap, saying that Toolit stage-managed the kidnap to taint his name.
Oulanyah died later in 2022 leading to a byelection in Omoro County which pitied Oulanyah’s son, Andrew OJok Oulanyah under the NRM against Toolit this time bearing the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) flag.
Ojok was declared winner of the Omoro County by-election by the Electoral Commission on 26 May 2022 after garnering 14,224 of the total votes cast against 1,633 votes obtained by his closest rival, Simon Toolit Akecha of the National Unity Platform - NUP.
