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What Kadaga told Oulanyah after defeat
Newly-elected Speaker of the 11th Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah (left) being congratulated by her predecessor, Ms Rebecca Kadaga (right) shortly after the results were announced as Dokolo Woman MP, Cecilia Ogwal (centre) looks on.
What you need to know:
- ‘‘After the final results were read, I escorted Kadaga to Ms Oulanyah and she congratulated him for going through as Speaker,” Ms Cecilia Ogwal, the woman representative for Dokolo District
Ms Rebecca Kadaga, the Kamuli Woman MP and former Speaker of Parliament, conceded defeat in the Speaker race to Mr Jacob Oulanyah.
The elections were held on Monday at Kololo Independence Grounds.
The revelation was made yesterday to Daily Monitor by Ms Cecilia Ogwal, the woman representative for Dokolo District.
“After the final results were read, I escorted Kadaga to Mr Oulanyah and she congratulated him for going through as Speaker,” she said.
Ms Ogwal, who is regarded as a senior legislator at Parliament because of her long stint in the House (she joined in 1996), said she played a mediation role because she did not want to see other battles emerge after the speakership race ended.
“I did not want the results contested afterwards or other endless battles emerging among individuals and political parties, especially those who were involved in the speakership race,” she said.
Ms Ogwal added: “That is why I found it very important for Kadaga to concede the outcome of elections. By her coming out to congratulate Mr Oulanyah, it was a sign of peacefully accepting the results.”
Ms Kadaga was seeking re-election in the race as an Independent candidate after being dropped by the National Resistance Movement (NRM)’s top organ, the Central Executive Committee (CEC), in favour of the Omoro County MP who was her former deputy.
Ms Kadaga was not present when she was invited to make a statement after the speakership results were announced.
“Kadaga did not have an opportunity to make the statement because she had already left the venue. She was tired and hungry after having not earlier had breakfast and lunch.
Therefore, she did not find reason to remain sitting at the venue aimlessly even after the speakership results had been announced,” Ms Ogwal said.
Ms Kadaga polled 197 votes against Mr Oulanyah’s 310.
Mr Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality MP, got 15 votes.
