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Allan Ssewanyana, a detained Makindye West MP, is seeking an injunction to stop the election of the speaker of parliament until he is allowed to run for the same office. MPs are expected to vote on Friday for the next speaker of parliament to replace the late Jacob Oulanyah, who died on Sunday in the United States of America after being rushed for medical treatment. Ssewanyana, who is being held on remand at Kigo Maximum Prison on several murder and terrorist charges, says he has expressed interest in being the next speaker. Ssewanyana claims that while he is on remand, he is still only a suspect who is innocent until proven guilty, implying that he has all rights to engage in the process, including expressing interest and running for speakership. Similarly, in addition to being ill, spending too much time on remand without trial, and having numerous pending responsibilities for which he has been seeking bail, Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya told the court that if the current deputy speaker of parliament resigns, he would like to run for the position. The trial magistrate instructed the MPs’ counsel to study the appropriate legal routes via which their interests in the contest for speakership might be successfully represented when delivering her verdict, in which she further remanded the MPs until April 6. “……regarding the application that the accused parties want to make in relation to the speakership contest, this can be done through their counsels,” she said. Lukwago stated that before seeking an injunction to stop the ongoing process for the election of the speaker, he will seek an audience with the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP) Mathias Mpuuga to inform him of the MPs’ interest in running for the same position. MPs, on the other hand, had already expressed their dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the investigations into the murder charges leveled against them. They also blamed the prosecution, led by Richard Birivumbuka, the Masaka local chief state attorney, for what they called persecution, claiming that the state has continuously failed to find substantial evidence that would allow them to be committed to the High Court for trial. However, in his response, Birivumbuka requested that the court give him until the next adjournment to present the committal papers for the two MPs, claiming that he was nearing completion with the preparation of crucial witnesses in the case.
Mr Nathan Okori, Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s father, has stated that his son died of “poisoned” causes rather than natural causes, but has also stated that the...
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the former Speaker of Parliament, will declare her interest in resuming her coveted seat tomorrow, Tuesday. We’ve learned that a group of MPs gathered at Kadaga’s home in Muyenga on Monday evening to decide on the position left vacant by Jacob Oulanyah’s death. The meeting agreed that Kadaga, who has served two terms in Parliament, should go to the National Resistance Movement party’s electoral commission headquarters on Tuesday to declare her candidacy. “Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga is best suited and has the necessary experience to chair Parliament and provide leadership at this time,” said a meeting attendee. Anita Among, the Deputy Speaker, is also said to be in the running for the same position and is expected to arrive at the NRM electoral commission headquarters on Tuesday at 11:00 a.m. Among, who has been the Deputy Speaker for 9 months, decided on Monday evening with her team to take a shot at the Speakership.
President Museveni has announced that the Speaker of Parliament, Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah, has died. On Sunday, Mr Museveni announced in a tweet that he learned about Oulanyah’s death around 10.30 a.m. “Countrymen and Countrywomen,” says the narrator. I regret to inform you of the passing of the Speaker of Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah. People who had been with him and the doctor who was caring for him in the intensive care unit informed me of this tragic news about 10.30 a.m. East African time. He was an excellent Cadre. Mr Museveni stated, “I postponed the news so that his children would be told first.” Mr Oulanyah was last seen in Parliament in December 2021, and by then, he had only chaired a few sessions, including the passage of the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) Bill, which allowed members’ savings to be accessed in the short term. In May 2021, he was elected as Speaker of the House. On February 4, Oulanyah flew out of the country for treatment, with reports claiming that the Uganda Airlines Bus A330-800 neo with registration code 5X-NIL flew him to Seattle, Washington in the United States. The journey was estimated to cost $500,000 in total (about Shs1.7b). The journey and admission of the Speaker infuriated a group of Ugandans living in the United States, who protested the trip....
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