James Leku Pilli has officially taken the oath of allegiance and the oath of Member of Parliament, assuming representation of Adjumani West County following the demise of long-serving statesman and former Second Deputy Prime Minister, Gen. (Rtd) Moses Ali.
Administered during Tuesday’s plenary sitting, Leku’s swearing-in brings the total number of directly elected legislators in the 12th Parliament to 529, alongside 24 ex-officio cabinet members appointed by the President.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Marksons Oboth officially received the newly sworn-in legislator to the August House, presenting him with copies of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament to guide his legislative duties.
Hon. Leku, running on the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ticket, won the September 17 by-election in a landslide, polling 12,423 votes against his sole rival, independent candidate Draga Gasper, who garnered 2,559 votes out of 14,982 total votes cast.
In a rare parliamentary milestone, Leku delivered his maiden speech on the floor of the House on the same day he took oath—becoming the first legislator in the 12th Parliament to do so. Speaker Oboth commended the feat, remarking that the lawmaker arrived with a distinct development agenda for his constituents.
Outlining his legislative priorities, Leku, who previously served as the Adjumani District Local Government LCV Chairperson, pledged to push forward key infrastructural legacy projects championed by his predecessor.
“These include the bridge at River Nile crossing to Moyo District and South Sudan, as well as the road from Yumbe District crossing via Obongi and Adjumani districts to South Sudan,” Leku stated.
In response, the State Minister for Transport, Hon. Julius Maganda, assured the House that central financing for the Laropi Bridge has been secured and works are advancing toward physical execution.
“We are now at the stage of signing a contract to have the bridge constructed. We need your [Leku’s] support because we shall engage the community to see how we can resolve issues on the ground, so that the contractor does their work conveniently,” Minister Maganda informed Parliament.
Gen. Moses Ali, who passed away in July 2026 at the age of 87, served as a foundational political figure in the West Nile sub-region, having represented East Moyo and later Adjumani West across multiple decades while heading several key ministerial dockets in cabinet.
