Economist Berocan beats incumbent to Jonam NRM ticket

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Epiphany Berocan will carry the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party flag in the Jonam County (Pakwach district) parliamentary race next year (2026).

This was after the seasoned economist won the primary election on Thursday (July 17), with 27,089 votes.

A son of a catechist and who has previously worked in the finance ministry, Berocan beat incumbent and current Pakwach district chairperson Robert Steen Omito (15,189 votes), and Innocent Oribi (254 votes).

The election did not go without incident, though. There were reports of alleged intimidation in Alwi sub-county, where Omito hails from.

Incumbent Jane Avur Pacutho retained the NRM flag for Pakwach Woman MP. (Courtesy photo)

"We decry threats of intimidation of our agents in Alwi sub-county. Our agents were chased away from polling stations, leaving our results in despair, so they were not verified," said Omito in a statement later.

He claimed that 600 votes he got in Alwi were not included in the final tally at the district.

Mathematically, though, Omito would still have come up short. He rejected the final results, citing "unfairness" in the electoral process.

Aggrieved candidates can petition the NRM electoral commission, but the move is time-bound.

Meanwhile, in the Pakwach Woman MP race, Jane Avur Pacutho retained the party flag.

She beat Sarah Bakhit — her same challenger from 2020 — with 28,809 votes. Bakhit got 13,389 votes while former district education officer Christine Acayo trailed.