Celebrations engulfed the mammoth tent erected to house the first business of the 11th Parliament at Kololo ceremonial grounds as Omoro county MP, Jacob Oulanyah was elected as the new speaker on Monday. Oulanyah polled 310 votes against his fiercest rival Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga who polled 197 votes.
Kadaga defied her own ruling party, NRM to contest as an independent after the party central executive committee (CEC) chose Oulanyah as their unopposed candidate. Ssemujju Nganda who stood on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) polled 15 votes and there were 2 invalid votes.
The voting process was presided over by chief justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo and watched over keenly by President Yoweri Museveni.
After swearing-in, Oulanyah said this particular election has been challenging and expectations and uncertainties aplenty but he pledged to unite the house and promote good governance.
He said utmost due diligence will be the catchphrase during his reign as speaker of the 11th parliament as they work together to deliver Uganda to middle-income status.
He said facts and evidence-based decision making, tolerance, harmony, and national interest above party interests will be the modus operandi during sessions and debates of problems presented before the House.
Oulanyah said much as MPs can change political parties, it’s almost highly unlikely that one will change nationality and hence national interest takes precedence over party positions and interests.
“We should agree that no view will be suppressed and all views will be received with tolerance…If we act in a harmonious way, we will always find a way. And therefore, we have a collective responsibility to work together,” Oulanyah said.
Oulanyah said the time has come to change the perception of parliament where people will start viewing parliamentarians as patriotic citizens working towards their common interests.
The return of Obore
To start, social media has been awash of pictures of Chris Obore the estranged Director of Communications and Public Affairs of Parliament back in office on Tuesday.
He has locked out of office in 2019, sent on forced leave, initially on 40 days of his accumulated leave which elapsed and extended indefinitely.
A known Oulanyah confidant in the media, Obore’s troubles started in March 2019 when Jane Kibirige, the Clerk of Parliament notified Obore that the Inspectorate of Government had conducted investigations noting that his recruitment as the director communication and public affairs was founded on an illegality because it contravened the Parliamentary Service (Staff) Regulations, 2001.
However, Obore through his lawyers, Kampala Associated Advocates applied for an injunction restraining the Parliamentary Commission from implementing the Clerk’s decision to terminate his employment until the matter is determined.
Obore was recruited on August 19, 2015 by the Parliamentary Service, following Kadaga’s exit from the top office, the celebrated journalist from Teso has made a much-anticipated comeback.
