Breaking News: Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah is confirmed dead.
The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has been confirmed dead this afternoon on 20th March, Sunday by the President of Uganda H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni through his Twitter account. Oulanyah reportedly passed away at around 10:30 a.m in a hospital in Seattle, USA, where he has been battling an unknown illness.
Oulanyah travelled out of the country for treatment on February 4, with reports alleging that the Uganda Airlines Bus A330-800 neo with registration code 5X-NIL was used to fly him to Seattle, Washington in the United States. The journey was said to have costed $500,000 (about Shs1.7b).
Unconfirmed reports said he succumbed to cancer of the intestines.
Oulanyah’s death, shocking as it is, came when the country had been encircled in rumours and doubt about his state of health.
The news of his death was confirmed by President Museveni.
Several prominent politicians had sent out messages of sympathy urging people to pray for Oulanyah the likes of Norbert Mao and others.
On March 15, 2022,the Democratic Party president Mr Nobert Mao,the Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, the deputy Speaker Ms Anita Among,and some family members of Oulanyah travelled to the US to check on him.
On March 18th, Norbert Mao twitted:
I’m with the CJ, the D/Speaker, the Health Minister & the Speaker’s brother in Seattle where the Speaker is hospitalized. A man who is very ill deserves our prayers. Above all let’s respect his privacy and that of his family. The D/Speaker will soon issue a statement. It is well! pic.twitter.com/Xz3QavYUjY
— Norbert Mao (@norbertmao) March 17, 2022
Oulanyah the Omoro County MP (Omoro District) was elected Speaker of Uganda Parliament on May 24th, 2021, after defeating the former Speaker Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga. He served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament from May 2011 until May 2021.
Oulanyah was born in the then Gulu District, on March 23, 1965 to Nathan L’okori and Karen Atwon. He attended St. Joseph’s College Layibi, Dr Obote College Boroboro, and Kololo Senior Secondary School for his O-Level and A-Level education.
In 1988, he enrolled at Makerere University, one of the oldest university in the East African Community, where he studied agricultural economics. He graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor of Arts in that subject before he entered law school at Makerere University and graduated in 1994 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. He served as speaker of the university students’ guild during his stay at Makerere. In 1995, he attended the Law Development Centre (LDC), where he obtained a postgraduate diploma in legal practice.
Oulanyah, who has been speaker for less than a year, served as deputy speaker for 10 years. He has been in Parliament since 2001.
An eloquent speaker, Oulanyah chaired the legal and parliamentary affairs committee that controversially recommended the removal of term limits that allowed President Museveni to stand again in 2006.
The opposition accused him of being a sell out and after he lost his Omoro County seat in 2006, Oulanyah officially crossed from UPC to NRM.
But he bounced back to Parliament in 2011 and was elected deputy speaker, deputizing Rebecca Kadaga, the Kamuli Woman MP.
For the next five years, Oulanyah never got along well with Kadaga, who hardly gave him a chance to preside over Parliament.
Yet ever since he was elected to the top post, Oulanyah had hardly chaired any sittings due to ill health. His deputy Anita Among has steered most of the sittings.
Last year after a long absence from the House, he told MPs that he was back and feeling fine. He said he was disappointed by rumours about his death.
“Why would anyone wish another person death?” he asked during a session to welcome him back.
A couple of months later, his health condition worsened and was rushed to Mulago and later to the US where he breathed his last.
Details of his funeral arrangements are yet to be announced.
