Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Deputy Speaker Anita Among has said that between her and the Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah, they established a working schedule which explains Oulanyah’s absence.
Oulanyah who was last month elected Speaker of Parliament last presided over the sitting of the 11th Parliament during the reading of the 2021/2022 budget on June 10th at Kololo Independence grounds. This raised speculation with several media reports indicating that the Speaker was down with COVID-19. One major media house said he was allegedly transported to the airport in an ambulance and carried on a stretcher to the plane that evacuated him from Uganda.
In a press conference held today at Parliament on the institution’s COVID-19 response, the Deputy Speaker when asked on the whereabouts of the Speaker, said said that they made a schedule where the two principles of Parliament chair the house for two months each.
She says that now she is chairing the house, but when the two months come to an end, the Speaker will be taking charge.
Anita Among also dismissed reports that Oulanyah was sick, saying he is totally fine but was simply on leave.
Deputy Speaker Among chaired the house on the day that Vice President Jessica Alupo and Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja were approved. Oulanyah was also not present at the swearing-in ceremony of the recently appointed Ministers at Kololo on Monday last week.
But according to the Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Parliament, Chris Ariko Obore, the Speaker traveled to see one of his children in the UK, and was also shocked by the news doing rounds that he was ill with COVID-19.
“He traveled to the UK, but this is in no way related to sickness or anything, but to see his son whom he had not seen in a long time,” Obore said.
Going by the schedule highlighted by Among, Oulanyah is expected to start chairing the house in August.
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