By Spy Uganda
Kampala: A wave of fear is sweeping through the various political circles in Vurra Constituency, Arua district, following the unexpected announcement of Eng. Dr. Gabriel Ajedra Aridru’s return to the political arena.
Aridru, the former State Minister of Finance in charge of General Duties, dropped the bombshell during a press conference held at Slumberland Hotel in Arua on Saturday, March 9, 2024.
Having lost his Vurra Constituency Parliamentary seat to the current Member of Parliament (MP), Yovan Adriko, in the controversial NRM primaries that allowed any voter with a national identification (ID) to participate, Aridru, a dedicated party member and Arua district NRM chairperson, adhered to party principles by refraining from running as an independent candidate in the 2021 general election.
Nonetheless, news of his impending return has set off a flurry of activity within the diverse political factions in Vurra.
The announcement comes as Aridru reassured the public that he plans to make a comeback in 2026 due to persistent calls from his constituents noting that voters have urged him to return and finish the projects he initiated in the Constituency.
“There have been a number of calls from many people in Vurra, Logiri, Arivu and Ajia sub-counties that Hon. Minister please, could you consider coming back. Of course, they had their reasons why they wanted me back. Yes, after all those calls, I have done some consultations with a number of people and I can confirm that in 2026 for NRM primaries and hopefully also for the general elections, I will come back,” Aridru said.
“And I think one of the compelling reasons is that there are quite a number of projects which I started that have not been completed and you know, when you do something halfway and it has not been completed, it haunts you. I will give you one typical example of rural electrification; there were so many areas we had mapped for rural electrification but they have not been completed the way I had wanted,” he added.
“One other typical example is the Ovisoni water project which was supposed to serve the customs, it was supposed to serve all the communities along Odianyadri-Vurra custom road including the secondaries and the one which is very important is the health center at Kawuanjetia. The idea was that the water would come all the way from Ovisoni by gravity via Tilevu there, the communities also would get their water and then it would come all the way up to that health center. Currently, the health center doesn’t have water yet the health center needs water,” Aridru explained.
He said when the Arua city water project was being done at that time, he talked to national water and sewerage corporation to take water to Ajia because of the health center which is there and indeed the water was taken.
Aridru further noted that the other one was taken all the way to Bondo and that was to serve the health center in Bondo there as well and the communities along the road.
“So, there are a number of other projects which I had started which have not been completed the way I had wanted to including first-tracking the process of constructing the Arua district headquarters in Vurra, a district which I fought for. You provide better service when you are physically in that area, but if you are going to be very far, provision of service becomes very difficult,” Aridru said.
“So, I think the issue of Arua district headquarters also needs to be resolved because you can’t continue running a district from another jurisdiction and the issue of the assets which are still in Arua city. Those are all issues that have never been solved, so I’m hoping that if people give me the opportunity to come back, I would wish to conclude those things,”
