‘We Can’t Wait To Replace Jacob Oulanyah’- NRM Sets Date To Elect New Speaker Of 11 Parliament

By Uganda Online Media

Kampala: The ruling party National Resistance Movement (NRM ) has set tomorrow Tuesday as the date for the expression of interest for the position of Speaker of the 11th parliament.

This follows the death of Jacob Oulanyah who passed on Sunday 20th, 2022 in Seattle in the United States where he has been admitted since early last month.

According to the latest reports, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) will later convene on Wednesday and Caucus on Thursday before conducting the elections to vote for the next speaker on Friday.

Speaker Oulanyah passed on yesterday morning in Seattle, the USA where he had been admitted earlier after falling sick. Ever since he was elected as Speaker of Parliament in May last year, 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 rumors about his death.

However, late last year, he fell sick again and was first admitted to Nakasero Hospital before he was later flown out of the country to the US for better treatment.

Born on March, 23, 1965 to Nathan L’okori and Karen Atwon in the then Gulu district, Oulanyah attended St.Joseph’s College Layibi, Dr.Obote College Boroboro and Kololo Senior Secondary School for his O and A level education.

In 1988, he joined Makerere University where he studied agricultural economics and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1991.

In 1991, he joined law school at Makerere University, graduating in 1994 with a  Bachelor of Laws degree ,having earlier served as speaker of the students’ guild at the university.

He joined Law Development Centre in 1995 and obtained a postgraduate diploma in legal practice but later worked as a lecturer at LDC.

During the same time, Oulanyah began private law practice at Oulanyah, Onoria & Company Advocates and in 2001, he entered elective politics when he was elected as the Omoro County Member of Parliament as a Uganda People’s Congress cardholder whereas the country was still in the movement political system.

Oulanyah also participated in the peace talks between the Ugandan government and Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army rebels.

In 2006, standing as a UPC candidate, Oulanyah was trounced in Omoro County and later that year, he quit UPC to join the ruling NRM party.

In 2011, he was re-elected as Omoro County MP in the ninth parliament on the NRM ticket and was later elected as Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

He was in the January 2021 parliament election re-elected as Omoro County MP and later in May that year, he was elected as Speaker of Parliament.