Although earlier this week, Health minister Jane Ruth Aceng informed parliament that the postmortem report indicates that Oulanyah died of cancer and multiple organ failure, his father, who, sounded the poison bells soon after his death on March 20 in Seattle in the US, with a calm but serious tone, today Friday reiterated the same accusations – this time before all cameras and several government officials amidst cheers from the locals.
“I want to state clearly, Jacob was poisoned, he told me…doctors attempted to deal with the poison…By the time he was flown out for treatment he was not in a position to recover,” he said.
President Museveni who announced Oulanyah’s death last month, earlier warned those speculating about Oulanyah’s cause of death, directing police to arrest all those he called spreaders of harmful propaganda but it appears like Oulanyah’s family is convinced that he was poisoned. Oulanyah’s cousin brother Francis Emuna also speaking at the burial in Omoro insinuated that Oulanyah was being fought from within the state.
It is not immediately clear who would have been interested in ending Oulanyah’s life who only assumed office last May and served as speaker for just 9 months. However, the poison accusations are not new as we reported back in August last year when Oulanyah was abruptly evacuated to the UK on June 22, 2021.
Museveni ordered a specialized security team to investigate the sudden slump in Oulanyah’s health a few days after assuming office.
Sources at State House intimated to The Observer then that the president was concerned that Oulanyah could have been poisoned after medical reports from the UK, turned out inconclusive. But Museveni this week, insisted Oulanyah died from cancer, saying he was aware of his health condition and treatment in Dubai, Germany, and finally the US and he would have advised him to quit politics so as to preserve his health.
KIWANDA CHIPS IN
Former minister and National Resistance Movement vice-chairperson for central region Godfrey Kiwanda on Saturday said that indeed Oulanyah also confided in him shortly after being elected speaker last year in May that he’d been poisoned.
Speaking on Capital FM, Kiwanda said Oulanyah told him at his home in Muyenga during his sick leave that he’d been poisoned but did not reveal whom he suspected. Kiwanda says he’s only coming out to speak now because Oulanyah’s father publicly talked about it.
According to Kiwanda, although Oulanyah had warned him not to tell anyone, after some time in a bid to find a solution, he told Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the current Information and National Guidance minister.
“I find no contradiction with Mzee L’Okori’s statement that his son was poisoned because even someone with cancer can be poisoned,” said Kiwanda.
Oulanyah was on Friday accorded a 17-gun salute and laid to rest about 5:34 pm at his home in Ayom Lony village in Lalogi sub-county, Omoro district.
Earlier, during a requiem mass at Ajuri primary school, the Vice President Jessica Alupo who represented President Museveni delivered Shs 50 million to Oulanyah’s father and another Shs 20 million for the children of the deceased.
The president in a written statement read by Alupo promised to be close to the family and support them throughout. The deceased is survived by eight children and three grandchildren and several dependents.
