By KT Reporter
At about 8:30 am on a Friday morning, the gate to the home of the incumbent Gulu City Woman Legislator, Betty Aol Ocan, in Laroo–Pece Division, Gulu City, was already busy. A group of women sat quietly in the compound, some chatting in low tones, others clutching documents, all waiting patiently for their “mother” to wake up. The legislator was still resting inside, but no one seemed in a hurry to leave.
This is a familiar weekend scene at the residence of the 67-year-old legislator, fondly known locally as min Gulu City, loosely translated as “the mother of Gulu City.” Aol’s home is rarely empty. Every morning, residents stream in: some seeking a meal, others asking for help with medical bills for themselves, relatives, or children, while others come for consultations or to request transport to carry deceased relatives for burial. For nearly two decades, these daily visits have become a testament to the deep bond between Aol and the people she has been representing in Parliament.
A trained teacher by profession, Aol Ocan began her career in 1981 at St. Joseph’s College Layibi, in the then Gulu Municipality, becoming the first African female science teacher at the institution. She later taught at Sacred Heart Secondary School before transitioning into community development work at the height of the northern Uganda Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency. The prolonged conflict proved to be a turning point in her life.
Displaced to Gulu town in the late 1980s, Aol became deeply involved in grassroots leadership, serving as a Resistance Council (RC) secretary in Layibi Ward while also working with the non-governmental organisation (NGO) sector. Her work with ACCORD exposed her to rural development, democracy, and governance, and highlighted what she describes as the glaring absence of women in decision-making spaces, especially in politics.
Aol’s formal political journey began in 1996 when she was elected to the Gulu District Local Council V, where she served for about a decade. In 2001, she made her first attempt at the Gulu District Women’s Parliamentary seat but lost to the then State Minister for Education and Sports, Betty Akech Okullo, in an electoral college system she describes as restrictive and unfair.
According to Aol, although women in Gulu Municipality protested the outcome of the election, seeking legal redress proved too expensive, forcing her to temporarily retreat to local government politics. Undeterred, she regrouped, joined the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) as it gained momentum, and played a key role in pushing for adult suffrage in women’s parliamentary elections. That reform paved the way for her decisive victory in 2006, when she defeated the then-incumbent, Akullo.
According to Aol, since entering Parliament as an opposition legislator, she has been an outspoken defender of her constituents, arguing that she has frequently raised issues of livelihoods, land, health, and education on the floor of the House. Her activism eventually elevated her to the position of Leader of the Opposition in the 10th Parliament in August 2018, a role she says took her across the country to handle land disputes, human rights concerns, and governance issues, sometimes under heavy security resistance.
“An opposition MP is not an enemy. We are there to check the government so that it does the right thing for the people,” she told Uganda Radio Network in an interview. Now serving Gulu City as one of the longest-serving female opposition legislators in the Acholi Sub-region, Aol says the city’s youthful population demands experienced leadership as she seeks to return for a fifth term in Parliament. She previously served as Gulu District Woman Legislator before the government elevated Gulu Municipality to city status in July 2020.
Aol, who crossed to the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) party last year following internal bickering among top leaders in the FDC, noted that while the majority of opposition legislators in the sub-region have crossed to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, she will remain in the opposition. She alleged that on several occasions, top NRM party members have attempted to bribe her to defect, but in vain, arguing that she stands for accountability in leadership.
Her prolonged stay in Parliament has, however, reignited debate among some women leaders in Gulu City, particularly those who were instrumental in advocating for affirmative action. Rosalba Oywa, an opinion leader and long-time women’s rights advocate, said that while Aol Ocan’s repeated electoral victories reflect voter confidence, they also contradict the original spirit of affirmative action.“I have always complained publicly about women who stay too long in Parliament. I was one of the women who fought for affirmative action, and our thinking then was to create space so that many women could access leadership at that level,” said Oywa.
Oywa explained that women activists initially envisioned a two-term limit for affirmative action representatives—one term to learn, and a second to deliver and groom a successor. She cited the example of long-serving female leaders, including a former Speaker of Parliament and the current First Deputy Prime Minister, who have been in elective politics for over three decades.
“When you look across the board, many women do not leave Parliament, and they also do not groom anyone. When people eventually get tired and vote them out, there is nobody prepared to take over,” she said. Despite the criticism, Aol insists her continued presence in elective politics is driven by public demand rather than personal ambition, maintaining that the people of Gulu City and the Acholi Sub-region still see value in her leadership.
She also noted that over the years, she has been grooming female leaders who will eventually take over the leadership mantle in the city and the Acholi Sub-region. Alex Okoya, a seasoned political analyst and the LCII Chairperson of Labour Line Parish, told Uganda Radio Network that Aol’s longevity in elective politics is rooted in her grassroots leadership background.
Okoya said that over the years, Aol has been in politics, she has significantly contributed to the welfare of the community, adding that the chances are high she may sail through beyond the 2026 parliamentary elections.
Aol is facing competition from five other candidates for the Gulu City Woman Parliamentary seat ahead of the January 15 general polls. They include the NRM flag bearer Joyce Reeni Alima, National Unity Platform (NUP) flag bearer Concy Lagum, and independent candidates Jolly Grace Laker and Judith Topacho Obina Okumu, who are NRM-leaning.
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