Members of Parliament praised their former Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah passed on Sunday, 20 March 20220 in Seattle, USA.
The motion to pay tribute to the Late Jacob Oulanyah was moved by Vice President Jessica Alupo during a special sitting of the House chaired interchangeably by speaker, Anita Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa on Tuesday, 05 April 2022.
In her opening remarks, Among told MPs that their task was to exude Oulanyah’s dream of having an evidence-based debate in Parliament and having a people-centred Parliament.
Alupo described him as a meticulous servant of Uganda whose exemplary and distinguished career spanned his leadership of the 11th Parliament as Speaker from 24 May 2021 up to the time of his death.
“His leadership greatly contributed to strengthening adherence to the rule of law, parliamentary practise, political tolerance and the spirit of humanity. He also encouraged cohesion amongst different shades of opinion,” she said.
Alupo said Oulanyah’s contribution to the Acholi sub-region was most evident through his participation in the peace talks between the Government of Uganda and the Lord’s Resistance Army.
She also cited his role in promoting Government programmes for the social and economic transformation of the people of the Acholi sub-region.
“He was the UN special envoy to the Uganda peace talks between the Government and the LRA. He also participated in drafting the Juba Peace Agreements in 2006, which earned him an honorary Doctorate of Divinity by Zoe Life Theological College in the USA,” the Vice President added.
The Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja who seconded the motion described the late Oulanyah as an accomplished legislator and a true nationalist who was a pro-people person who conducted his duties with excellence.
She said the former speaker sought to restore public confidence in the institution of Parliament by urging legislators to debate issues of national importance and perfect service delivery to Ugandans.
The Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga who was also a seconder of the motion said that the death of Oulanyah was a huge loss to the country and Parliament at large.
“OJ was an encyclopedia of parliamentary procedure and distinguished himself with a clear mastery of parliamentary practice. OJ was able to draw a boundary between being a leader and a politician”, said Mpuuga.
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga said she had a good working relationship with Oulanyah while they served as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, in the 9th and 10th Parliaments.