Uganda’s Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah is dead

By Jjunju Francis

20^th March 2022

The Country is Eulogizing the demise of the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Jacob L’Okoli Oulanyah who breathed his last in Seattle America today.

Oulanyah ‘s death was announced by President Yoweri Museveni on Sunday March 20^th 2022 at 1:07 pm through his official Twitter account.

 “Countrymen and Countrywomen. It is with a lot of sadness that I announce the death of the Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah, the Speaker of Parliament “, the President’s Tweet read.

Oulanyah, 56, was referred abroad on February 3rd 2022 for specialized healthcare by Doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital where he was first admitted in January.

On Monday March 14^th 2022,  the Democratic Party President Norbert Mao, alongside Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo, Deputy Speaker Anita Among, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng the Minister of Health and Oulanyah’s brother, Francis Emuna hastily flew to Seattle in United States of America to check on him where he was indisposed since February 4th, 2021.

Both Mao and the Deputy Speaker, through their Twitter accounts dismissed claims that Oulanyah had died.

Oulanyah, an agricultural economist, and lawyer, entered politics in 2001 by successfully contesting for the parliamentary seat of Omoro County, in the then Gulu District under the Movement Political System.

In 2006, he stood again on a UPC ticket and lost his re-election bid that is why he announced quiting UPC in  July 2006 and joined the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM). In March 2011, Oulanyah was elected to represent Omoro County then in Gulu District, in the Ninth Parliament on the NRM ticket. He was elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament on 19 May 2011.

Following the February 2016 general election, Oulanyah was re-elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament on 19 May 2016.

On 24th May 2021, Jacob Oulanyah was voted Speaker of Parliament in a race against his former boss, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga beating her with310 votes against  197 votes for Kadaga.

Oulanyah has only served for 9 months and 24 days as Speaker of the 11^th Parliament. May his soul rest in eternal peace.