Oguzu Lee Denis hails from West Nile. He’s MP for Maracha County. Oguzu served as a Shadow Minister Science, Innovation & ICT and worked for the development of Science parks.
He is a member of the steering committee of African Parliamentary Network on illicit Financial Flows and working with colleagues they’ve managed to create awareness on the dangers posed by illicit financial flows to domestic resource mobilisation.
Oguzu is a World Health Organisation (WHO)- recognised innovator who has worked on a National Ambulance Service for Uganda’s Ministry of Health to improve emergency care in the Country.
The MP Elect for Maracha Constituency Oguzu is also a founder of the West Nile Rural Development Agency; Initiator of Maracha Academic Excellence Award and former Speaker, Makerere Arua Students’ Union, a position which propelled him to successfully challenge the former Maracha Constituency MP. As a member of the Committee on ICT, Oguzu supported the extension of the fibre backborne to areas like Karamoja and West Nile.
The youthful MP who doesn’t toe party lines blindly , believes that patriotism isn’t about individual party party positions but rather standing with Uganda at all times. Oguzu Lee stood with President Museveni on the GMO law which had sought to colonise our more than 2000 years old seed inheritance system; stood with Bobi Wine against OTT Tax; campaigned for Jacob O’ulanya to become NRM’s National Vice Chairman Northern Uganda and for Mr. Saka Wilfred, an ANT candidate to emerge the LCV Chairman of Terego District.
To him blind allegiance to party positions is a ploy every honorable member of this 11th parliament must reject if the dream of an independent and pro-people parliament is to be realized .At the onset of the Covid-19, Oguzu proposed deployment of ICT tools for running parliament’s, business which were widely adopted.
Oguzu Lee seeks to reform the office of Deputy speaker so that sanity can prevail and the trust of the people can be restored in the institution of parliament.
Oguzu Lee believes that Ugandans today are not looking for extremists nor the most loyal of the party cadres to polarize the debates. They are not looking for the most controversial of the personalities capable of raising the heaviest of storms in parliament or even in local dailies. They are not even in the search for the richest of the candidates. Not even are they searching for those who have been in the House the longest; for they know being in parliament is like being in an African marriage—its success is not measured by the length-of-time spent in it but rather the productivity of the couples.
His candidature is about helping Ugandans help themselves.
Oguzu believes that the office of Deputy speaker can timely be restrained from the potential danger of becoming a conduit for dealers and gagging honest aspirations of the Ugandan people. Oguzu believes if supported, sanity will prevail in Uganda and trust of the people will be restored in the institution of parliament.
Oguzu further believes soon the enemies of progress will start to look for trivialities in this race. “They will ask for our law degrees and where we come from. They will question our numbers and affiliations. Several colleagues will question our ability to deliver. Others will dismiss it as ‘fishing expedition.” He advises MPs to find courage and hope in the then dismissal of President Museveni by Obote and astute words of Martin Luther who noted that, “human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.”
Nelson Mandela too reminds us that, “it will always seem impossible until it is done.” Oguzu is aware he may not have a godfather but believes in the assurance of the Lord in 1 Samuel 2:8-9 that in a moment like this, “He will raise the poor from the dust and lift the needy from the ash heap and seat them with princes and have them inherit a throne of honor. For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of His faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. It is not by strength that one prevails.”
Oguzu is quite sure those who seek a parliament torn apart along partisan lines and riddled by controversy will seek to dismiss him as being ambitious or even a comedian. In their maneuver to discredit his candidature, they will label him young , inexperienced and even labeling him as being defiant. He knows the ‘mafias’ will stop at nothing to block his candidature .
He urges all MPs in the 11th parliament to reject such ploys.
Oguzu reminds MPs not ignore the plight of women who work tirelessly yo keep the family unit intact .He says that while the debate on who will be the leaders of parliament rages on- the MPs should not forget that rural folks seek relief from imprisonment of poverty and so do urban dwellers who have long braved the deplorable conditions of the slams.
Oguzu says his emphasis will be shaping debates and presiding over a House that can honestly provide lasting solutions to the aspirations of all Ugandans . he says he is the best bridge over which both government and the opposition can cross with less friction.
He pledges to be a catalyst of development not an impediment. He seeks to be an agent of job creation and be a partner of the voiceless majority while leveraging his strong ICT background to ensure a low-cost, transparent parliament -powered by technology.
He further reminds the young people who form the bulk of the 11th parliament that his candidature will be a litmus test on their resolve to stand for the generational cause of the youth irrespective of party affiliations. “My candidature not only presents you with the huge privilege of being part and parcel of our country’s development planning and execution processes but also the unique opportunity to influence decisions in a manner that guarantees future for the next generation.”
He invites MPs of the 11th parliament enjoin him in the mission of reforming office of Deputy Speaker.
