Oulanyah’s father insists son was poisoned

Omoro, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |Nathan L’Okori, the father of the late Speaker of Parliament Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah insists his son was poisoned.

On Tuesday, the Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng revealed that Oulanyah, 56, succumbed to cancer which he had been battling for a long time. Oulanyah passed on from Seattle in the United States of America on March 20 where he had been indisposed since his referral in February this year.

Speaking to mourners at a funeral service for Oulanyah on Friday, Okori noted that his claims were not for granted, insisting that his son was indeed poisoned.

“…I’m not just crying for no reason, Jacob was poisoned, when he came to me here, he had undergone operations to remove the poison. The other day when he was being flown outside, he was so weak. I am blaming the person who poisoned him…” Okori didn’t however reveal the person he is blaming for Oulanyah’s death.

This is not the first time Okori has made allegations that his son was poisoned. A few hours after the news of Oulanyah’s death was announced by President Museveni, Okori told elders at his home that Oulanyah had revealed to him that he was poisoned.

Okori’s statement came shortly after Dr. Aceng said that the postmortem report of Oulanyah had been revealed to the country and that the family was okay with the report.

“In the interest of time we feel we have given enough medical report, the family also feels we have given enough medical report and so we request that we don’t repeat the medical report again,” she told mourners.

His personal doctor who is also the Executive Director of the Uganda Cancer Institute Dr. Jackson Orem, however, reiterated that Oulanyah succumbed to cancer and notes that he had been closely monitoring him until his referral and at the time of demise.

Thousands of mourners gathered at Ajuri Primary school in Ayom Lony village, Lalogi sub-county to bid farewell to the fallen Speaker of Parliament. A funeral service preceding the burial of Oulanyah started in the morning and was led by the Archbishop Church of Uganda Rt Rev. Kazimba Mugalu.

Former Anglican Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi who gave a sermon at the requiem mass eulogized Oulanyah and described him as a unique person who had no ‘duplicate’ life.

Gulu Archdiocese Archbishop Dr. John Baptist Odama who spoke on behalf of the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda described Oulanyah as a son of humanity adding that his death should unite humanity.

Earlier, the service was disrupted by a whirlwind that blew off tents under which the casket containing the body of Oulanyah was. Few people were left injured after the incident and were attended to by members of the Uganda Red Cross.

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