Proscovia Alengot Oromait has become Africa's youngest Member of Paliament (MP) at the age of 19, after she won the Usuk county election with 11,059 votes. The outspoken youngster replaces her father who died earlier this year.
Alengot is a member of National Resistance Movement, headed by President Yoweri Museveni. Other people who stood for the post included, Charles Ojok Oleny with 5,329 votes, Charles Okure from FDC with 2,725 votes and Cecilia Anyakoit of UPC with 554 votes.
Many people have come out to congratulate her, whilst some are saying she will not survive her term in parliament because of her age and limited experience. Some people believe this is the beginning of change in Africa and its time to get rid of the overly old leaders and allow young people to take the continent forward.
Hon. Alengot's area faces challenges of clean water, electricity and poor roads among others. For now the people of Usuk have their hopes pinned on the 19 year-old MP. Hopefully, she will be in position to represent her area and develop it.
Google map of Alengo's constituency:
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Some citizen media comments are sampled below:
Solar Sister believes its the young women that are the pillar of change now:
Young women powering change! 19 year old Proscovia Alengot Oromait elected to Uganda Parliament. http://fb.me/28DoJ2IUr
Joy Doreen Biira requests someone to teach Ms Alomait the basics she needs to learn as an MP:
@JoyDoreenBiira: Alengot Oromait, 19 years old is now a MP in Uganda…. Very Good. But can someone “home-school” her on the basics she needs to know else…
Commenting on New Vision website, Agambagye Frank thinks its good that she was elected and believes this is how democracy should be:
thats why democracy is good pple voted her
lakodo urges Hon Aromait not to leave her boyfriend, now that she has got more money and has a lot of opportunities to get a rich boyfriend:
Hon Prossy , plse dont forget ur little 19 yr old boy friend who used to buy for u chapatis, he kind of also helped u in a way, and remember to take haert not to be scared of some MPs like Moses Ali who snores like the whole roof of parliament is coming down.
Commenting on a story on the Monitor website, nkuutu urges advises the MP to concentrate on her studies, as the MP seat can be lost at anytime and she may have to look for a job:
I just have one piece of advice for the hon MP: Don't worry, be happy. This might be the only time in your life to shine! Come next elections ….who knows. Don't forget your day job …I mean your studies. No one will give you a job with a CV with “ex-MP but no qualification”. Anyone can be an MP, but not everyone is educated.
Congrats!!
Proscovia does not need too much advice. You guys are treating her like a baby. At 19 she's an adult. Schooling began at home. Why is every man trying to be a parent to her? Leave this young woman alone to think critically for herself. It seems that there are too many cooks around. Proscovia actually has the figure of Michelle Obama. Tall, athletic, beautiful and confident. Michelle the first Black US first lady did not need too much advice on how to be a first Black first lady in the White House. Congratulations to Proscovia!
Proscovia Alengot was sworn in on Thursday 20, September, 2012. She is the youngest and first female teenage Member of Parliament in Africa.
15 comments
She will I know.if others can,why not her.
Don’t mind sister.you will rule them.
Indeed. She will.
Older people have something important that young people don’t: wisdom and experience.
If she’s just replacing her father, what kind of change can that be?
“The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do
what he wants done, and the self-restraint to keep from meddling with
them while they do it.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Hon. Proscovia Alengot Oromait
Age
is nothing but a number, take it from me you have set a landmark in the
history of the continent. Reaching at the top is no big deal, but remaining at the top requires perseverance, performance, big heart and resilience.
Some
may doubt your performance potentials due to age, face, education or
sexuality orientation but that should never deter you from setting
specific, measurable, and realistic and time bound decisions. In case
you do not have leaderships training. Please you must enroll for a
leadership course in any university as it will awaken you, give you
courage to face mountains and crash thru, you will easily articulate
your people issues professionalism confidence, with modern leadership
techniques that will promote your kind of generation to achieve the
required standards, there is no compromise, you have to undertake the
training at all cost.
Look
at your people first, especially those you represent, understand their
common their desires, problems and expected feature challenges, then get
the common denominators, categories the denominators into sets of very
agent, agent, and general bearing in mind that there are never
denominators that are less important as all are important. Always
involve the people in the whole process of views collection taking into
considerations that you are not their boss, but a servant. (In case an
impromptu need occurs deal with it immediately to maintain designed
programs intact).
Promote
peoples power, by letting people discuss their destiny, either from
village or divisional level, create credible local leadership amongst
the cluster groups, these should be the co-dominators (not bosses) of
all the project, but remain the overseer of all that is going on, after
all you’re accountable as the leader. More are times you seek
independent professional both private and government appointed ones in
all undertakings, but be cautious of scavengers and persons with greedy
vested interest .Remember to be very firm on coordinators never
compromise peoples developments, in most leadership middle persons are
the ones who fail the leaders.
Travel
widely as you take notes of all visits, in Kenya the first visit should
be Gatanga constituency of Muranga county and Vihiga get to carry all
the good deed home bearing in mind if their can do it you can innovate
it better.
Never
despise anyone, love all and just listen to them, at times a listen
satisfy more than a deed. Remember listening is more of wisdom than
talking.
Motivate
the young ones into success and if possible more professional lines.
Uphold and promote mandatory education for every child motivate the
highest number to reach university bearing in mind that as I quote
“development of an area highly depends on the education level of its
people and how they utilize the acquired academically knowledge in their
day to day life. Low education mainly poor of life higher education a
better life.”
To
maintain dignity and decency in the society, your character must be
high morally. Try as much as you can to keep privacy totally private.
You are a role model to many young ones uphold your dignity always. Have
mature friends but never let them use you or take advantage of your
innocence and youth.
Africa
independence pioneer leaders where more of your age let no one without
Africa’s history discourage or disparage you at all. Africa is poor due
to greedy ignorant governorship, Africa is richer than United States of
America but foolish leadership has made it poor, please be a strategic
professional leader.
38 minutes ago · Like