Tony Kitara, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) aspirant for Laroo-Pece, vowed on Wednesday to prioritize youth skills development if elected to parliament.
Speaking during the Laroo-Pece Parliamentary Debate hosted by NBS Television on Wednesday, Kitara highlighted the need for educational infrastructure in the newly created constituency.
“If we can push the government to construct a polytechnic institute, our young people can advance their skills, and the journey to a degree will be available to them,” he said.
Kitata added that his campaign aligns with the NRM manifesto, emphasizing his commitment to uplifting women and youth who, he noted, remain disadvantaged as a result of the legacy of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency.
The Laroo-Pece parliamentary race has attracted a diverse field of contenders aiming to unseat the incumbent legislator, Rev. Fr. Charles Onen, who first entered parliament in 2021.
Alongside Kitara, the candidates include Democratic Party President and Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Norbert Mao, Okello Samuel of the Democratic Front (DF), Opoka Simon of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), independent candidate Charles Odokonyero, and Onen, who is running as an independent.
Fr. Onen, the pioneer MP for the constituency, won his seat after a highly competitive contest in 2021, defeating five other candidates.
His rivals then included Caesar Lubangakene (NUP), Geoffrey Komakech (FDC), Nancy Atimango (NRM), Charles Odokonyero (Independent), and Simon Opoka (DP). Onen had been granted a five-year leave by the Gulu Catholic Archdiocese on October 1, 2020, to participate in active politics.
The 2021 election followed the elevation of Gulu Municipality to city status, which led to its division into two independent constituencies: Laroo-Pece and Bar-Dege-Layibi. The contest in Laroo-Pece remains one of the most closely watched races in the region, with voters keen to see who will represent them in Uganda’s ninth parliament.
With less than a month to the polls, candidates continue to outline their visions for the constituency, with youth empowerment, education, and post-conflict recovery emerging as central themes.