Former Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo, has been declared unopposed as the Member of Parliament representing Older Persons for Eastern Uganda.
Opondo’s victory follows the withdrawal of a case by Democratic Party (DP) candidate Joram Mpande Kigenyi.
The announcement came after the Electoral Commission Tribunal reviewed a petition that had been filed challenging Opondo’s nomination.
“Today, my opponent Joram Mpande Kigenyi, the DP candidate, conceded my petition before the Electoral Commission Tribunal chaired by Justice Simon Mugyenyi Byamukama over forgery in nomination documents. As a result, I have been declared the unopposed MP for Older Persons in Eastern Uganda,” Opondo stated.
In May, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni gave Opondo the green light to enter elective politics after he resigned from his position, declaring his intention to contest in the 2026 general elections.
Opondo’s resignation came just two months before the end of his three-year term. Appointed in 2013 to succeed Fred Opolot, he served as Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre for over a decade under successive renewable contracts.
“I was appointed Executive Director of the Uganda Media Centre by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on July 1, 2013. It has been a fulfilling 12 years,” he reflected.
Before leading the Media Centre, Opondo served as Director of Information and Public Relations at the Movement Secretariat starting in 2002, succeeding Winnie Byanyima. Since 2003, he has also been the official spokesperson for the NRM, playing key roles in President Museveni’s election campaigns from 2001 to 2016.
