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Family fronts Oulanyah son for Omoro seat
Speaker Jacob Oulanyah with daughter at the swearing-in ceremony at Parliament in May last year. Photo/David Lubowa
What you need to know:
- Oulanyah, 56, died in the United States where he had gone for medical care for an undisclosed illness. President Museveni announced his death in a tweet on Sunday.
The family of the deceased Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has fronted two people to take over the Omoro County Member of Parliament seat.
Oulanyah, 56, died in the United States where he had gone for medical care for an undisclosed illness. President Museveni announced his death in a tweet on Sunday.
The Speaker first became the Omoro County MP in 2001-2005. He was re-elected to the position in 2011 and held it until his death.
Addressing the media at Oulanyah’s ancestral home in Ayomlony Village, Jaka Parish in Lalogi Sub-county yesterday, Mr Oscar Labeja, the deceased’s nephew, said the Speaker had several plans not only for the constituency, but Omoro District and northern region.
Mr Labeja said these plans are yet to be fulfilled and they believe that a successor from their family is best placed to fulfill them.
“The family has two potential people who we really think can represent us. One is the son of the late Oulanyah [and another who is] serving as a deputy resident district commissioner (RDC) in one of the districts in Teso Sub-region,” Mr Labeja said.
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He, however, declined to disclose the identities of the aspirants but a source, who requested anonymity, identified the two potential Oulanyah replacements as Mr Andrew Ojok, the son of the deceased, and Mr Denis Okori, the Katakwi deputy RDC.
“The family will still sit again to decide who of them should represent the family because all of them appear to have the ability,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Okori and Mr Ojok about their interest to succeed Oulanyah were futile.
Speaker election
Mr Oscar Labeja, the deceased’s nephew, said the family was disappointed with the move to elect a new Speaker before laying Mr Oulanyah to rest.
“We know it is the law that provides for such conditions but if you look critically, the contest and election of the Speaker of Parliament involves a lot of merry making and parties after someone wins it and culturally it shows much disrespect for the dead person,” he said.
He added: “It hurts but we have to go with it. Of course, government needed to have allotted more time to allow his remains be buried first because if it is done this way, it would totally look like government and other people do not appreciate or value him (deceased),” he added.
