Parliament has declared one week to commemorate the demise of the late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah. The revelation was made by the speaker of parliament Anita Among.
“This week, we commemorate the demise of our late Rt. Hon. Speaker Jacob Oulanyah. We recover from the agony of the untimely death that happened and we celebrate his enduring legacy,” She said during the plenary.
Late Oulanyah died of multiple organ failure on March 20, 2022 in Seattle, USA. He was laid to rest on April 8, 2022.
Yesterday, the family, friends, and leaders gathered at All Saints Cathedral in Kampala to remember Oulanyah. The memorial service was attended by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and Members and staff of Parliament.
The service led by Dr. Hannington Mutebi, the Assistant Bishop of Kampala Diocese duly started at 3:00 pm as indicated in the order of service, an attribute of timekeeping that the deceased strictly observed.
Mutebi said Oulanyah participated in every detail of the church activity and was a Christian who loved God and supported the church.
The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among in her speech read by Tayebwa said that even with the short life he lived, Oulanyah left behind a legacy of immeasurable bounds.
“As a country, the late Oulanyah stood tall like a colossus; he represented the current and future of our national leadership. Many of our leaders and young people looked up to him for inspiration, advice, and guidance on good leadership,” Among said.
She added that Oulanyah left a big impact in Parliament by greatly influencing the way of doing business, especially in areas of timekeeping and processing of bills and motions.
“The late Oulanyah believed in honesty and speaking frankly about national issues. Today, we have a parliament in which those values are cherished and practiced by most of its members and staff. As Parliament of Uganda, we will continue to work towards accomplishing the agenda that Oulanyah set out to achieve during his term of office,” Among said.
