The day Elias Luyimbazi Nalukoola was elected as the Member of Parliament for Kawempe North, the skies didn’t just open, they must have given way to an entire circus - the kind good enough to make John Katende sack his entire Ebonies ensemble to hire a loan Elias Nalukoola.
The National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate apparently cannot wait 14 days to be officially sworn in and claim it has taken too long. The claims that the Electoral Commission has delayed to gazette him makes it as if the swearing-in ceremony is a VIP club, and poor Elias is standing outside without the magic make-it-fast ticket.
Let’s pause for a moment and reflect on the impeccable track record of calm patience exhibited by other MPs-elect. For instance, Andrew Ojok Oulanyah, NRM’s pride of Omoro County, waited a full 12 days to take the oath of office after his victory on May 26, 2022. He didn’t throw a tantrum, he didn’t storm any buildings, and he didn’t threaten chaos. He simply waited, like a sensible person, for the official processes to unfold.
But of course, we must not expect that level of composure from Nalukoola, who has proven that impatience is the new political charisma.
Andrew Ojok Oulanyah didn’t storm the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) or engage in public threats. He waited. And on June 7, 2022, his swearing-in ceremony took place, with zero fuss. Not even a Twitter storm. Maybe that is what makes Andrew Ojok Oulanyah a village joke for being too patient to the slow system.
And then, of course, there was Eunice Otuko, who bagged the Oyam by-election victory on July 7, 2023. This is another dimwit per Elias book. Can you imagine it took her 14 days to be sworn in? Fourteen Days!
And she didn’t act like the countdown to her inauguration was the biggest thing in her political career. Imagine that—just two weeks of patience. Simple, right? Wrong, if you’re Elias Nalukoola.
Not a single hostage situation, no press conferences lamenting the delay, and certainly no threats to storm any government buildings. No MPs in Parliament demanding Speaker Anita Among explains why there is a silent coup going on in Kawempe North. The chaps simply waited, like any adult with an ounce of patience.
Meanwhile, our dear Elias Nalukoola has already pulled out the big guns. The MP-elect is threatening to storm UPPC if his swearing-in doesn’t happen within a reasonable amount of time. Because, of course, waiting the full 14 days (just as Otuko did) is far too much to ask.
His latest declaration that he will directly confront the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) over his gazetting delay is something that would make any viewer of a political soap opera sit at the edge of their seat. It’s an unpredictable plot twist, full of suspense. The chaos could unfold any moment. Maybe there will even be a dramatic slow-motion chase scene in the near future?
What’s particularly mind-boggling is that he has yet to surpass the threshold set by his colleagues. Sarah Aguti, for example, just recently won the Dokolo Woman MP by-election on March 21, 2024. She waited 13 whole days before taking the oath of office. Thirteen days—yet here is Elias, all of a sudden launching into his ”don’t mess with me” routine, at the cusp of the 14-day mark.
But let’s look on the bright side. His impatience is admirable in a way. It signals just how ready he is to dive headfirst into the business of representing his constituents. Forget those long-winded speeches and thorough processes. Why waste time, when you could be in office and making an impact?
In the end, however, one must ask: To what degree will impatience shape the future of NUP and its leadership? Will Elias’ impatience become the hallmark of a new, thrilling era in Ugandan politics? Or will he be the only one sprinting while others calmly jog to victory, each at their own pace, like law-abiding citizens?