By Nathan Eyagu

Soroti City - A political firestorm has engulfed Soroti City and reverberated across Uganda’s online platforms following a charged exchange between Soroti City’s National Unity Platform (NUP) coordinator George William Okoit and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party president Patrick Oboi Amuriat.

The clash was triggered by a recent visit from NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, better known as Bobi Wine, who held a high-profile community engagement in Eneku Village, Soroti City. The event, themed around the long-neglected plight of war victims in the Teso sub-region, saw Kyagulanyi vow to deliver justice and compensation to those affected by the insurgencies of the late 1980s and early 2000s.

“If there's political will, two weeks is enough,” Kyagulanyi said, drawing cheers from war survivors and local leaders. “You’ve been reduced to begging for a single cow. But you deserve more—dignity, justice, and compensation for what was stolen from you.”

In a symbolic move, Kyagulanyi signed a Memorandum of Hope with representatives of the Teso war victims, promising to prioritize reparations under a future NUP-led government.

However, the gesture did not sit well with FDC’s Amuriat, who took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to lambast the move as political grandstanding.

“@HEBobiwine @NUP_Ug @DavidLRubongoya cut the crap. This is a mockery of our old people. Play better politics. Like @KagutaMuseveni and @NRMOnline, false agreements and playing mind games on our desperate elders. Cheap politics just!” Amuriat posted.

The statement drew an immediate and fiery reply from Okoit, who did not mince his words.

“Finally I can believe Besigye, you are an embarrassment. When you were running around town burning tyres did we say anything? You need to grow,” Okoit shot back.

Amuriat dismissed the criticism, accusing Okoit of political opportunism:

“Hahaha, find another way to win a parliamentary seat. This just can’t work for you and other political opportunists from Teso. You misadvised your masters.”

But Okoit held his ground, replying with even sharper language:

“In NUP, unfortunately, we don’t have masters like you whose master is Museveni in disguise. What holds us together is our desire for a country that works for everyone, not just a few privileged. You thought we are gullible? Watch us flip Teso.”

The explosive exchange has ignited debates both online and offline, with many Ugandans questioning the growing animosity between the country’s leading opposition figures.

Despite the heated rhetoric, many locals in Soroti and across Teso remain focused on the core issue: compensation and justice for war victims. Residents expressed mixed reactions—some praised Bobi Wine’s initiative, while others questioned the timing and political motives behind it.