Agency
As campaigns heat up ahead of the 2026 parliamentary elections, candidates contesting the Pece-Laroo Division parliamentary seat in Gulu City insist they are not intimidated by the return of Democratic Party (DP) president Norbert Mao.
Mao, who surprised many after being nominated as the DP candidate, made a quiet political return to local politics after years of focusing on national politics.
Tony Kitara, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate, told Mega Fm in an interview on Wednesday that he isn’t afraid of contesting with Mao in the same political race.
Kitara said that he will defeat Mao in the January 15, 2026, parliamentary polls due to his leadership experience.
While the DP hasn’t formed an official alliance with the NRM ruling party, the cooperation agreement signed between the two parties in 2022 is widely seen as a favourable condition for the ruling party’s support towards Mao’s parliamentary candidature.
Caesar Lubangakene, an independent candidate who describes Mao as his political mentor, says his return to local politics is a betrayal of youth empowerment by the elderly in both the local and national politics.
The race for the constituency has attracted five other candidates. They include incumbent and independent candidate Fr Charles Onen, UPC flag bearer Simon Opoka, Forum for Democratic Change candidate Geoffrey Komakech, Wilfred Opobo, and Edward Odong, all independent candidates.
