Give Me This Five-Year Term and See Where Nebbi Will Be - Mayor Ngiriker

Give Me This Five-Year Term and See Where Nebbi Will Be - Mayor Ngiriker

Nebbi, Uganda: The incumbent Mayor of Nebbi Municipality, Geoffrey Ngiriker, has rallied the electorate in Nebbi Municipality to grant him re-election for another five-year mandate, enabling them to witness the transformative change and infrastructural advancement the municipality aspires to and merits.

In a press briefing held in his municipal office recently, Ngiriker solicited robust backing from his constituents, referencing the tangible progress achieved during his prior tenure, such as the near-completion of 2.6 kilometers of tarmac road surfacing and the ongoing erection of Abindu Seed Secondary School, alongside numerous forthcoming initiatives for the municipality.

Ngiriker disclosed that with 20 sub-projects under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) program in the pipeline, the municipality is poised for substantial expansion, underscoring the imperative for electing seasoned leaders capable of sustaining the governance trajectory with expertise.

“Give me this five-year term and we see where Nebbi will be” Incumbent Ngiriker said.

Ngiriker, who narrowly lost to Jackline Opar, the Thatha Division LCIII chairperson, in the fiercely contested National Resistance Movement (NRM) party primaries, secured nomination to vie on an independent ticket.

Commenting on the recent NRM primary polls, Ngiriker stated, “yes there was some small difference between me and the winner and later I was very much impressed when the community or the voters decided to come to me and said no, we want you to continue with the projects that we have seen now coming into Nebbi Municipality”.

He further elaborated, “we have the 2.6 km tarmacking which is almost to completion and the Seed Secondary School which has now come and the construction has started plus many other projects under USMID under which we shall have 20 sub projects” emphasizing that these developmental milestones inspired his supporters to urge his return to the fray in the eagerly awaited 2026 general elections.

Ngiriker, recently nominated on an independent ticket symbolized by a car, remains confident in retaining his mayoral position despite anticipated formidable opposition from key rivals, including the NRM flag-bearer Jackline Opar and Geoffrey Thorwinyo, also contesting independently.

Nebbi Municipality, boasting a populace exceeding 40,000, has long grappled with constituent grievances over solid waste management deficiencies and infrastructural bottlenecks, particularly in road networks, among other issues.

Nevertheless, Ngiriker has consistently attributed these impediments to fiscal constraints and administrative red tape.

Meanwhile, impatience is mounting among the municipality's over 1,000 vendors, as they await the commencement of a flagship market redevelopment project valued at UGX 32 billion, to be sited at the existing central market along Nyipir Road, financed by the African Development Bank via the Ministry of Local Government. Site evaluations were conducted in July 2023.

Evidently, Ngiriker faces rigorous contestation from the NRM-endorsed contender Jackline Opar, renowned for her stewardship and outspoken advocacy on behalf of her community.

Leveraging the growing dominance of women in national politics, Opar, as the sole female aspirant in this predominantly male-dominated gallery, poses a formidable threat to her opponents, bolstered by the party's entrenched base within the municipality.

Another prominent contender vying against Ngiriker is Geoffrey Thorwinyu, alias Jeff.

 A media professional by trade, Jeff has cultivated a stature for effective leadership, having served at Rainbow Radio in Nebbi since 2012.

His political trajectory commenced in 2016, when he campaigned as an independent for Nebbi Town Council and secured the district councilor seat.

In a recent interview, the composed sporting man in his signature dark sunglasses and harboring a zeal for sports, asserted that Nebbi Municipality is afflicted by governance deficiencies impeding progress.

“I see a lot of leadership gap and I see a lot that isn’t happening” he said in interview early this year, adding “I think I have enough experience to address these challenges”

Mounting scrutiny is besieging the sitting Mayor Ngiriker, who endures backlash over his previous administration, yet according to some electorates, Ngiriker retains a competitive edge should he effectively articulate his past governance achievements, deemed substantive by voters and outline his prospective agenda for Nebbi, the second municipality in West Nile following Koboko.