OMORO, UGANDA: Mr. Nathan Okori, the father of the late former Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah has been excluded from the list of people allowed to speak at the funeral service and burial of his son.
Oulanyah who died at the University of Washington Medical Centre in Seattle, US, will today, Friday April 08, be laid to rest at his ancestral home in Omoro district, Nothern Uganda.
According to a report by DailyMonitor, a section of family members who preferred anonymity revealed that Mr. Nathan Okori has only been allowed to welcome mourners and wont be among the speakers at his son’s burial later today.
Ms. Santa Alum Ogwang, the Oyam District Woman MP and a member of the family confirmed to Monitor that the decision to stop Mr Okori from speaking at the burial was reached in consideration of his health status.
“Mzee is right now too weak, he can’t walk easily and can’t speak easily due to the bereavement. This, to us, is understandable because he needs more comfort than being exposed to emotional speeches,” Ms Ogwang said. Before adding; “The person slated to talk on behalf of the family is the deceased’s firstborn, Mr. Andrew Ojok, who has been slotted by the National Organising Committee to speak on behalf of the family.”
However, while addressing the media on Wednesday morning, former Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) president, Mr John Olara Otunnu who is a close friend to the bereaved family said Mr Okori should not be blocked from speaking at his son’s funeral.
“Let no body come in to block Oulanyah’s father from saying what he has basis for and we should also in the same vein, not add anything to his claim,” Mr Otunnu said, before calling upon the Acholi people to desist from speculating about the cause of Oulanyah’s death but leave it to the family.
“Words came straight from the mouth of the deceased’s father, Mr Okori, who said many times that his son had told him that he was poisoned, allegedly resulting in his death. But it is disastrous for some of us to start carrying the same message without evidence,” Dr Otunnu said.
He added: “The issue of death is a very serious matter and it should not be speculated or suspected, it should (poisoning speculation) come from the deceased’s father only because he is speaking basing on evidence or things told to him by his son while still alive.”
This comes at a time when social media is awash with rumours that Mr Okori is being sidelined from speaking at his son’s funeral because they are afraid he will reiterate claims that his son was poisoned.
Shortly after the announcement that Oulanyah had passed away, Mr Okori said his son told him that he was poisoned. He, however, asked the public not to politicise Oulanyah’s death.
“I know all of you who have come here are mourners. His) death is not easy news to welcome because I know he did not die of natural causes, he was poisoned,” Mr. Okori told handful of mourners at their ancestral home in Omoro District.
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