In Nebbi District, no male Member of Parliament has ever served Padyere County for more than two consecutive terms. With the current MP, Hon. Isaac Otimgiw Ismail, retaining the seat earlier this year, the big question now is: Can he make history in 2031 by winning a third consecutive term?
No matter how well an MP has performed, Padyere voters have consistently voted out their representatives after two terms. If Hon. Isaac contests again in 2031 and wins, he will become the first MP in the constituency’s history to serve three consecutive terms. But the question remains: Can he break the so-called “Padyere curse”?
So far, Hon. Isaac has introduced water bowser trucks to ease water shortages in parts of the constituency and improve access to clean water. He has also provided an ambulance, although it serves only one sub-county out of about 15. This has drawn criticism from residents in other sub-counties, who argue that service delivery has not been equitable. It remains to be seen whether he will address these concerns before the next election.
Below is the list of former Members of Parliament who attempted to break the two-term barrier but failed: Hon. Dr. Salim Ahmed Bachou, Hon. Patrick Aloysius Okumu-Ringa, Hon. David Ringecan, Hon. Dr. Pascal Odoch, and Hon. Joshua. Hon. Isaac Otimgiw Ismail is now the latest MP seeking to break that long-standing trend.
In a related development, no woman has served more than one term as Nebbi District Woman MP. Hon. Phiona Nyamutoro is currently serving her first term, and attention is already turning to whether she will retain the seat in 2031.
Within a relatively short time in office, Hon. Nyamutoro has launched the Zim Zim SACCO and injected more than UGX 300 million to enable members to access affordable loans for business. She has also begun donating mattresses to families across the district. Despite these initiatives, the question remains: Will she become the first woman to break the one-term trend?
Former Nebbi District Woman MPs include Hon. Esther Opoti Dhugira, Hon. Catherine Akumu Mavenjina, Hon. Betty Udongo Pacutho, Hon. Jackline Aol, Hon. Christine Acayo, and Hon. Agnes Acibu. None of them served more than one term. Hon. Phiona Nyamutoro now has the opportunity to rewrite that history.
What makes Nebbi politics particularly interesting is that, regardless of how well an MP performs, voters have consistently chosen new leaders after those respective terms.
For example, Hon. Patrick Okumu-Ringa oversaw the construction of a borehole in every village, yet he was still voted out when he sought a third term.
The question now is whether initiatives such as water bowser trucks, the Zim Zim SACCO, and mattress donations will be enough to help Hon. Isaac Otimgiw Ismail and Hon. Phiona Nyamutoro defy history and break what many describe as the “Nebbi political curse.
