Andrew Ikoona was born in a small village called Danida, in Masese, Jinja, characterized by poverty and harsh conditions. For his primary education, he attended Masese Co-Education School, and later joined Jinja Secondary School for high school. Life’s challenges and being from a poor background did not limit Andrew Ikoona’s reach for greater heights. He pursued a Bachelor of Information Technology at Makerere University in Kampala. Being a multi-talented youth, Andrew engaged also in singing and performing arts, and became popularly known by his stage name – Lil-Andy.
The Plan
Andrew Ikoona is running for the Mayor seat for Southern Division, Jinja City citing a need for change in the area. His people and his area have suffered the effects of corruption and land grabbing further locking the area in abject poverty. According to Andrew, the same people who have held leadership positions for decades, continue to run for the same position without ever benefiting the area. Worse still, they do not take the time to develop the potential of those who live in the area. He believes that leadership must be refreshed and that it is time for the current area leaders to step aside and allow for new ideas so as to develop the area and benefit its people.
Andrew would like to help the people in the different divisions of Jinja to secure and protect their land. Land grabbing in several parts of Jinja continues to negatively impact the lives of the people, especially impacting their ability to secure livelihoods for themselves. Andrew Ikoona believes that these issues can be resolved by incorruptible leadership and with new ideas which the older leaders have failed to deliver in their terms of office. He also wants to improve the roads in the city and work on infrastructural issues that affect security in the city and villages. For any area to develop, good infrastructure is imperative. Lastly, Andrew Ikoona also plans to work on creating better access to health in the rural areas. While there are several health centres in Jinja, they are not sufficiently equipped to meet all the needs of the people. Andrew Ikoona believes that improving access to health for rural areas would also improve the quality of life for the people.
A Call to Vote
Andrew Ikoona calls on the people of the Southern Division of Jinja City to vote for him as Mayor because he understands and empathises with their circumstances, even as one who has been a victim of the same problems. He too has been directly affected by land grabbing in Jinja and as an elected official, his focus will be to restore the dignity of the people of Jinja City, seeking to make the right partnerships to protect the land, and ensure that corruption is kicked out of the Southern Division of Jinja City. He plans to ensure that proper legal processes are followed when it comes to obtaining land and land titles and ensuring that the people of the Southern Division of Jinja City are protected. He also assures the people that a vote for him will be a vote to support and improve the health care systems in the area.
Mr Ikoona calls on all Ugandans to vote for quality in leadership, and to do away with corruption leadership. Andrew Ikoona is a member of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) and is running on the party’s ticket for Mayor of the Southern Division of Jinja City.