KAMPALA, UGANDA: The body of the former Speaker of Parliament, the late Jacob Oulanyah will arrive at Entebbe International Airport this week on Friday, April 01, 2022, DailyExpress.
Reports from close family members affirmed that Oulanyah’s body is expected to be flown into the country aboard the Ethiopian Airlines putting an end to speculations surrounding his return for burial processes.
Oulanyah, 56, was announced dead by President Museveni on March 20 after battling ‘colon’ cancer for weeks in Seattle, United States where he was taken for specialized medical treatment in February.
Earlier last week, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Henry Okello Oryem had said Oulanyah’s body would arrive in the country on Sunday (yesterday) but the process did not come through due to unsettled conflicts between the Acholi and Langi over burial customs to be performed on his body.
However, by Monday morning (today), highly-placed sources close to the National Organising Committee (NOC) which President Museveni tasked to ensure decent send-off for Oulanyah headed by Minister Milly Babalanda, said the body of the speaker emeritus will be repatriated this week pending resolution of outstanding financial and logistical arrangements.
According to the source, the return of Oulanyah’s body is being coordinated by a Seattle-based funeral home, Dayspring and Fitch Funeral Home, in liaison with officials from Uganda’s embassy in Washington DC responsible for Uganda’s diplomatic and bilateral relations with the US government.
When contacted to confirm when Oulanyah’s body will land in Uganda, Minister Babalanda, who chairs NOC for the state funeral, said “I am not supposed to say anything to the media, everything will be communicated at the right time.”
The law, however, states that a Speaker, upon death, shall be accorded a state funeral and the actual day of burial shall be declared a public holiday, with some social media users expressing keenness to know the day for them to plan their schedule.
The expected Friday date for the arrival of the body according to the source is premised on an estimation communicated by the funeral home, which could change.
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