By KT Reporter
In a mayoral race crowded with eight men, one woman has stepped forward insisting she can outperform them all. Sarah Awor Angweri, a secondary school teacher, an IT graduate, a mother, and Lira City’s female workers’ representative has launched a spirited independent bid for the mayoral seat, promising to “clean a city that has forgotten its beauty.”
Awor’s candidacy, the only female entry in a field of nine, instantly shifts the political texture of a city long shaped by male leadership. She is contesting against the incumbent Sam Atul, an NRM candidate, UPC’s Mike Ogwang Olwa, the former Lira City mayor, Fred Obote from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party, and Patrick Ogwang alias med mac from the National Unity Platform (NUP) party.
Others are Patrick Opige, Romanus Hannie Okello, Henry Opio Ogenyi and George Okello Ayo, all Independent candidates. Although she has long been associated with the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), Awor chose an independent path after what she described as “chaotic, fraudulent and exclusionary” party primaries. According to her, some aspirants were blocked at the village level, names were removed from registers, and others were chased away from polling stations.
“If they are really not okay with us contesting under independent ticket then we can leave the party. We have other political parties to join, and by the way the constitution of the Republic of Uganda allows independence,” she argued. Her decision sets up an unusual dynamic: a pro-NRM candidate running outside the NRM label against eight men, many of whom are party loyalists.
Awor says five years inside the council exposed her to a governance culture she describes as “nearly 99 percent corruption.” She recounts attempts to fight land grabbing, oppose misuse of quarterly funds, and challenge irregular procurement processes; efforts she says earned her multiple arrests and political hostility.
She argues that the city’s problems have deepened because leaders hoard government funds until the last quarter, enabling misappropriation. Roads remain in disrepair, the city’s appearance has declined, and public services particularly health and education are strained by under-staffing and mismanagement.
Her campaign, anchored in the slogan “City Mom,” blends fiery anti-corruption debating with an appeal to the symbolism and practicality of women’s leadership. “I can triple these men,” she said, arguing that women bring energy, discipline, and a sense of order she finds missing in the current administration. “They are eight, but I feel the eight are nearly like myself alone.” Awor insists that if voters entrust her with the mayoral seat, the difference will be visible within three months.
Her pledges include; rehabilitation of roads, reorganizing trade order and urban planning, expanding health facility staffing, improving sanitation, and establishing a rehabilitation center for street children, youth, and vulnerable mothers; a project she says is already lined up with a partner organization.
She describes her leadership approach as maternal yet firm: “A mother has ten children but treats them equally. That is how a city should be run.” Some critics argue her candidacy is driven by personal disagreements with the sitting mayor. Awor rejects that assertion but maintains that the current leadership “has failed in almost all aspects.”
Her campaign comes at a time when Lango Sub-region is grappling with high-profile feuding between two prominent female politicians vying for the city woman MP seat. Awor calls the confrontation “a disappointment to Lango” and says it risks discouraging young women from entering public life.
“These young ones are already scared. How can they manage politics when two ministers are fighting and they are dishing money like nothing?” Yet, by standing alone against eight men for the city’s highest office, her candidacy sends a different message, one she hopes young women will notice. “Don’t fear these men,” she said. “They are also human beings like us.”
Although she is running independently, Awor remains supportive of President Yoweri Museveni, whom she urges Ugandans to reward with what she calls “a bonus term.” “We love him. He has empowered women,” she said. “Let’s vote for President Museveni.”
As election season intensifies, Awor positions herself not merely as a political alternative but as a cultural shift. “I am here to deliver, not to waste time,” she said. “Vote for a mother. Vote for City Mom.” However, a boda- boda rider in Lira City considers Awor to be a “clown,” “wasting her time contesting against men.”
“This woman has been in council but there is nothing she has done other than causing unnecessary fights in the names of fighting corruption,” he said. Adding “she stands no chance against those men especially the current mayor Sam Atul.” Whereas another resident of City East Division, Francis Ogema, believes that Awor, being a woman can steer Lira City to the right development strides, but this he said can only achieved if she tailor her campaign towards women.
Whether Lira City’s voters will embrace the lone woman in a nine-person race remains to be seen, but Awor’s entrance has undeniably reshaped the conversation and challenged a political field long dominated by men.
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