Nineteen year old Proscovia Alengot Oromait has become Africa’s youngest Member of Paliament (MP), after beating eight other candidates to win the Usuk county election with 11,059 votes. She is a member of National Resistance Movement, headed by President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda.
Proscovia Alengot was sworn in on Thursday 20, September, 2012. She is the youngest and first female teenage Member of Parliament in Africa.She now takes on a position previously held by her late father, Michael Oromait, who is said to have died of natural causes in July prompting the byelection.
19 year-old Proscovia Alengot Oromait (left), Africa’s youngest MP, with her sister in Kampala on September 21. (Hilary Heuler/VOA News)
Alengot immediately expressed interest to replace her father, sparking off emotions of sympathy. She was elected flagbearer for the NRM party after she had won the party primaries a little over two weeks ago.
Hon. Alengot’s area faces challenges of clean water, electricity and poor roads among others. For now the people of Usuk have their hopes pinned on the 19 year-old MP. Hopefully, she will be in position to represent her area and develop it.
Several comments on various media platforms, especially the Monitor website, have followed her swearing in on Thursday, here are a few:
“I just have one piece of advice for the hon MP: Don’t worry, be happy. This might be the only time in your life to shine! Come next elections….who knows. Don’t forget your day job… I mean your studies. No one will give you a job with a CV with “ex-MP but no qualification”. Anyone can be an MP, but not everyone is educated. Congrats!!”
“Proscovia does not need too much advice. You guys are treating her like a baby. At 19 she’s an adult. Schooling began at home. Why is every man trying to be a parent to her? Leave this young woman alone to think critically for herself. It seems that there are too many cooks around. Proscovia actually has the figure of Michelle Obama. Tall, athletic, beautiful and confident. Michelle the first Black US first lady did not need too much advice on how to be a first Black first lady in the White House. Congratulations to Proscovia!”
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