New poll ranks Emase first in Teso South with 71.8 pc

Teso South MP Mary Emase.[File,Standard]

If Teso South voters were to choose their MP today, Mary Emase would win by a wide margin, with 71.8 per cent of respondents backing the incumbent.

Peter Imwatok Jateso, her closest challenger, trails with 17 per cent while 11.2 per cent of respondents remain undecided.

The figures give Emase a 54.8 percentage-point lead over Jateso in the constituency's current voter preferences.

The findings come as political activity builds in Teso South ahead of the 2027 General Election, with candidates seeking to consolidate support among voters.

The figures are contained in a Bobea Research & Insights poll dated October 6, 2026, which surveyed 375 respondents across Teso South Constituency using random sampling.

Emase is serving her second term as Teso South MP on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. She first won the constituency in 2013 on a United Republican Party ticket but lost the seat in the 2017 election to Geoffrey Omuse of the Orange Democratic Movement.

She returned to Parliament in 2022 after defeating Omuse and former Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong. Emase won with 18,051 votes, according to election results reported at the time.

Respondents who backed Emase cited her development record, leadership style and accessibility to constituents as the main reasons for their preference.

“The data shows a high approval rating anchored on tangible development and close connection with the electorate,” the report notes.

However, 11.2 per cent of respondents had not settled on a candidate when the survey was conducted, leaving a section of the electorate open to persuasion.

Bobea Research & Insights cautions that the findings reflect voter preferences at the time of data collection and should not be treated as a prediction of the election result.