Outgoing Member of Parliament (MP) for Laroo Pece in Gulu city incumbent Rev. Father Charles Onen (Independent) is medically un well following a shock from losing out his parliamentary seat to the Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Nobert Mao in the January 15, 2026 elections, Blazer News Times can exclusively report.
Father Onen who was seeking reelection for his second term having come to parliament in 2021, was facing off with seven other contenders including; Mao (DP), Tony Kitara, Simon Opoka, Geoffrey Komakech, Wilfred Opobo, Charles Odokonyero and Samuel George Okello.
The Electoral Commission (EC) official data shows Mao the winner with 7,359 votes against Onen’s 5,562 votes. Kitara given 2,867 votes, Opoka 381, Komakech 236, Opobo- 207, Odokonyero-77, while Okello- 65 votes.
Highly placed sources close to one center of state power told this this news Website that upon learning that Mao who is also the sitting DP president general had won, Father Onen experienced a sudden shock which caused him to an eventual hospital sickbed from which is recovering.
Sources claim that Onen had made a large financial investment into his lost election part of which came from the Speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among, with no hopes in losing it out, thus ending up in a shock.
When this news Website called one of the known priest’s phone contacts to hear from him or even seek a comment from any of his closest assistants, it was off by the time this news report was compiled.
Speaker Among, Minister Mao Silent War.
It has emerged from reliable sources that the relationship between the Speaker Among and Minister Among is not so good.
According to the sources, exacerbation of this relationship is Among’s sponsorship of particular political actors against Mao during political competition, with an aim of frustrating his political fortunes, fearing that if he rises higher un fettered, he would turn out to be a threat to her speakership chair, considering his closeness to president Museveni, following their signed Cooperation deal.
It is understood that Father Onen is one of the manifest sponsored pollical players. Sources told this news Website that Onen was initially Mao’s friend before he crossed from the clerical work to parliamentary politics, and in ensuring security for his win, Mao had rendered him all the necessary support.
Sources claim that one of the Mao’s contender during the June -July 2025 Mbarara DP Delegates Conference (whose names are withheld), had been sponsored by the speaker against him.
Other sources say that even the prime minister had sponsored the same candidate to end Mao’s presidency over the oldest political party in Uganda, as a guardrail to the leader of the government business cabinet job.
Sources say that because of the strong bond between the two, they had even agreed never to politically undermine each other in case any of them stood politically. But however, Mao was shocked to learn that the Reverend Father was determined to stick in the race despite having prior knowledge that he was to run for the Laroo Pece MP seat in 2026 elections.
Sources say that aware of every scheme against him, Mao as always, he does, neither spoke out nor treated any of the two as rivals, even when they meet at the public functions.
Mao Nurses Speakership Ambitions.
Sources say that as soon as Mao had been declared the winner of the Laroo Pece parliamentary seat, some of his people requested him start to consider thinking about becoming the speaker of parliament to further their Northern Uganda regional interests which had suffered a setback, following death of son of the soil; ladit Jacob Lokori Oulanya.
This according to the sources is one of the reasons Mao presaged an interest for the speakership chair during his Tuesday February 3,2026 maiden press conference at the DP headquarters in Kampala, before he could make a revelation that he was still widely making consultations regarding the same.
Mao’s public indication came amid news reports that the ruling NRM party top Central Executive Committee (CEC) organ had earlier this month passed a decision upholding Among’s candidature for speakership in the next parliament and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa, which was dismissed by the Information Minister Dr. Chris Baryomunsi and other party members.
Whether the battle for speakership will continue to reveal more from the either camps that is not known to the public, only time can tell.
