Former Aruu County Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Odonga Otto has revealed that losing his parliamentary seat in 2021 turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he can now view issues from a common man’s perspective.
Otto represented Aruu County in parliament for 20 years before he was trounced by Christopher Komakech, an independent candidate who polled 9,327 votes. Otto gathered 5,953 votes. A year later, Otto announced his retirement from active politics.
Otto stated this morning on Urban TV that he is experiencing exactly what ordinary Ugandans are experiencing.
“The best thing to have happened to me is losing the 2021 election. I now see things differently,” said Otto.
The former MP claimed that parliament frequently wastes taxpayer money.
“I remember we used to get Shs300,000 as seating allowance. It’s now that I realize that we were wasting taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Otto said that parliament is full of “politico-preneurs,” who do not think about the country but rather personal gains.
“The huge loans they approve in parliament are for consumption not for investment. They have mortgaged our country and our children will have to carry the burden of paying the debt,” he said.
On the issue of corruption, Otto said, “I was an MP for 20 years but I own just one property in Kampala. However, people who have just been appointed ministers and Permanent Secretaries own 10 or 20 properties in Kololo. How much are they earning?”