Probe on Oulanyah poison claim should go on - Otafiire
Minister of Internal Affairs, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire appears before the Defense committee of Parliament on April 14, 2022. PHOTO/ DAVID LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Minister Kahinda Otafiire insists that no one is above the law.
The minister of Internal Affairs, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, has said all persons whose names have been directly or indirectly linked to utterances that former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah was poisoned, should be probed.
Minister Otafiire’s statement comes barely two days after ICT and National Guidance minister, Mr Chris Baryomunsi, criticised the police for summoning Mr Nathan Okori, late Oulanyah’s father, over claims that the deceased was poisoned.
On Monday, police spokesperson Fred Enanga named Mr Okori, Dr Baryomunsi, Aruu North MP Santa Okot, Mr Godfrey Kiwanda, the former Tourism minister, Dokolo South MP Felix Okot Ogong, and popular northern Uganda musician Bosmic Otim as among people that police intend to summon. Others are Kilak South legislator Gilbert Olanya and Mr Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine, the National Unity Platform leader.
Gen Otafiire’s remarks were prompted by Budiope West MP Ibrahim Kyoto, who demanded clarity from the line minister who supervises the Force.
“I would like to know if it is the mandate of the police to summon a father who has just lost his son and even summon the minister. This is causing uncertainty,” Mr Kyoto inquired.
In his first interview with the press, Mr Okori revealed that his son had confided in him that he had been poisoned although he did not mention any individuals.
Mr Okori repeated the same claims last Friday during Oulanyah’s burial.
However, the Health minister, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, in her statement to Parliament said the former Speaker died of multiple organ failure induced by cancer of the lymphoma.
In the aftermath of the final send off of Oulanyah, while appearing on radio talk show-Capital Gang-the vice chairperson of the Buganda region on the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling NRM party, Mr Kiwanda, also claimed Oulanyah told him of how he had been poisoned.
However, yesterday, Gen Otafiire insisted that all those to be summoned should be probed by the police.
“None of us is above the law. Nobody in this country is above the law. If there is a complaint about offending the law, it is the responsibility of the police to investigate that complaint and dispose it of ,” Gen Otafiire said. The minister was however, quick to indicate that all high profile persons implicated in the matter such as the minister [s] would have to be interrogated within the confines of their offices.
He said the same treatment would be accorded to Mr Okori whose statement would be recorded at his home in Omoro District.
“And why do we want to talk to him? Because there are things [that] Okori could have wanted to say but could not say publicly,” Gen Otafiire said.
He added: “So police will have to go to him and ask if there is something he wanted to say but didn’t say it publically.”
