Soroti City turned into a sea of yellow and song on Saturday as a mammoth crowd poured into Soroti Sports Grounds to welcome David Calvin Echodu, whose homecoming rally doubled as both a political statement and a cultural celebration.
In what organisers branded a "political reset" for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) in Eastern Uganda, the rally marked Echodu’s first official return to Teso since declaring his candidacy for the powerful position of NRM National Vice Chairperson for Eastern Uganda. Echodu is also the party’s flag bearer for Soroti City West.
Photos from the event show a packed venue overflowing with supporters, some dancing, others waving placards calling for change and unity in Teso.
Ugandan pop star Vinka electrified the crowd with a performance that sent hundreds jumping to their feet, while a line-up of See Ela musicians kept the mood festive well into the evening.
But beyond the music and jubilation, the day underscored a deepening rift within the NRM’s eastern ranks.
Echodu’s growing support is seen as a direct challenge to Capt. Mike Mukula’s two-decade grip on the region’s top party post. His critics accuse him of failing to deliver tangible change, even as Teso battled insecurity, poverty and the loss of cattle.
Augustine Otuko, spokesperson for Echodu’s campaign, said the homecoming was not just a political event, but a moment to "reawaken the spirit of purpose in Teso politics."
Images showed local women draped in traditional attire joining party youth in chants, while NRM district chairpersons openly backed Echodu’s bid to replace Mukula on the party’s Central Executive Committee.
Yet the day belonged to Echodu. One of the most shared images online showed him waving to an overflowing crowd, with the sun setting behind a wall of yellow shirts and raised fists.
The event, captured in hundreds of frames and reels, was more than spectacle. It was a signal that the political winds in Teso may finally be shifting—and that a new chapter in the NRM’s story could be unfolding, one image at a time.