By Derrick Omoding
The politics of Soroti is extensively getting sour as the East Division electorates accuse their legislator Herbert Edmund Ariko for deliberately abandoning the Multi – Billion projects he earlier staked as a hook to voters during the controversial 2022 Bye – election.
The murmuring comes after he made a pronouncement to quit Soroti City East constituency and picked interest in the neighboring Gweri County.
In the 2021 general elections, the FDC’s Moses Okia Attan defeated Herbert Edmund Ariko with 439 votes, Ariko had been representing Soroti Municipality before its elevation to a city in the year 2020.
Ariko later petitioned the court accusing the electoral commission for altering boundaries, hence a bye election that pushed him back to contest on the NRM ticket.
It’s just a space of eleven Months after the controversial bye – election that saw the electoral commission declare him as the Soroti City East MP.
The big talk in the corridors of the city today is why the bye – election celebrant chose to disappoint his trusted electorates by announcing his intention to quit the constituency and turn to represent Gweri county in Soroti district.
In his reasoning, the MP placed that in his leadership spanning eight years as Mp,he has noted that Soroti electorates are not appreciative of his leadership.
During the 2022 bye – election that attracted the top figures including the Head of State,President Museveni, the Prime Minister Robina Nabanja, and the Deputy Speaker among other top government figures, many of multi – Billion projects were pledged in bid for Ariko, however none has been delivered.
Among the pledges was the construction of the Maternity ward to cater for antenatal services in Kichinjaji Health Center III and Moruapesur health Center III, where the Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa spearheaded the grand breaking activities during campaigns.
The construction of Otatai health Centre III and the uplifting of Soroti Regional Referral hospital into a specialized hospital were among the heaven to earth promises to the electorates if Ariko was to win the toughly contested bye – election.
These promises have ignited fire among the electorates, they now warn politicians to stop playing syndicate politics.
Benson Ekuwe, a senior political observer in the region says that the contemplation has bruised the minds of most stakeholders and members of the public, the big question remains on these promises.
speaking, “Ariko is never honest to his electorates and shall never have peace in his political ways, he caused chaos in Soroti and has now abandoned the constituency without evidential services.”
He said that the political situation in Soroti is intensifying as Gweri County and Soroti City massively get covered by the tsunami he terms as the cloud of confusion.