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Tuesday, 29 March 2022
When neo-liberalism turns rulers into blind buffoons: Shs2.5 billion budget for Oulanyah’s state burial amidst public outcry
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The government has budgeted to spend Shs2.5b on an “excellent” funeral and burial of Jacob Oulanyah, this publication can exclusively reveal.
The 56-year-old Oulanyah, who was the speaker of the 11th Parliament,
died in the United States where he was airlifted in February for
specialised medical care aboard a Uganda Airlines plane reportedly
chartered at a disputed Shs1.7b.
The Shs2.5b budget prepared by the National Organising Committee
chaired by the Presidency Minister, Ms Milly Babalanda, excludes medical
and funeral home bills in the US as well as expenses of flying back
Oulanyah’s body.
The casket containing the former speaker’s remains is expected to
arrive by Ethiopian Airlines at Entebbe International Airport this
Friday, and will be accompanied by Oulanyah’s family in the US and Ms
Patricia Lakidi, described in medical documents as the deceased’s
“partner”.
The ex-Omoro Member of Parliament’s time at the University of
Washington Medical Centre was marked by protests outside the facility by
the Ugandan Diaspora community over initial reports, which Uganda
Airlines dismissed without providing alternative figures, that
airlifting him to America cost Shs1.7b.
According to our analysis of the send-off budget, nearly half of the
Shs2.5b will be spent on the actual day of Oulanyah’s interment at his
ancestral home in Omoro in northern Uganda. The burial day shall, as
specified in the law, be declared a public holiday.
Role of Acholi MPs
Members of Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG), who have been vocal
since President Museveni announced Oulanyah’s demise on March 20, are to
receive Shs312.9m for an unspecified purpose.
However, sources familiar with the arrangement, citing the draft programme, told Daily Monitor
that the body upon arrival on April 1, will be taken to A-Plus Funeral
Home until Sunday when it will be moved for a wake at Oulanyah’s Muyenga
residence in Kampala.
It is planned that at the airport, an Acholi cultural troupe will
perform the Bwola, a graceful Acholi traditional dance for royalty or
other notables during which high achievements including battle exploits
or tribulations are recounted.
Culture consideration
Oulanyah was himself deeply immersed in his culture and publicly participated in different traditional Acholi dances.
According to the draft funeral and burial programme, Oulanyah’s body
on Tuesday, next week, will be moved to Parliament where it will lie in
state for tributes by legislators he headed.
This publication could not independently verify the claims.
In the wake of Oulanyah’s death, Mr Museveni assigned minister
Babalanda to oversee a state burial for the ruling National Resistance
Movement (NRM) former national vice chairman for northern Uganda.
Over the past week, the committee has revealed next to nothing about
its arrangements, with the minister tweeting to confirm this newspaper’s
scoop that Oulanyah’s body was scheduled to arrive on Friday, barring
last-minute changes.
Ms Babalanda also promised to release the full burial programme today, and she was not available for comment yesterday.
Asked yesterday what the lawmakers will use the money for since there
is a separate Shs124m budgeted for “fuel for coordination” and Shs18m
for publicity, APG chairperson Anthony Akol said: “I am not going to
talk about the budget because, as Acholi Parliamentary Group, that is
what we have agreed on. When Jacob (Oulanyah) was taken for treatment
abroad, you people were complaining about the expenses and now why
should I talk about the budget?”
He referred additional inquiries to Relief and Disaster Preparedness
Minister Hillary Onek, whom he said is the APG representative to the
National Organising Committee.
Mr Onek’s known mobile telephone number was switched off.
Earlier, a source familiar with the inside discussions about the
burial budget preparation intimated that MPs from Acholi rejected the
first budget, alleging that unnamed government officials had inflated
it.
In the wake of Oulanyah’s death, Mr Museveni assigned minister
Babalanda to oversee a state burial for the ruling National Resistance
Movement (NRM) former national vice chairman for northern Uganda.
Over the past week, the committee has revealed next to nothing about
its arrangements, with the minister tweeting to confirm this newspaper’s
scoop that Oulanyah’s body was scheduled to arrive on Friday, barring
last-minute changes.
Ms Babalanda also promised to release the full burial programme today, and she was not available for comment yesterday.
However, sources familiar with the arrangement, citing the draft programme, told Daily Monitor
that the body upon arrival on April 1, will be taken to A-Plus Funeral
Home until Sunday when it will be moved for a wake at Oulanyah’s Muyenga
residence in Kampala.
It is planned that at the airport, an Acholi cultural troupe will
perform the Bwola, a graceful Acholi traditional dance for royalty or
other notables during which high achievements including battle exploits
or tribulations are recounted.
Culture consideration
Oulanyah was himself deeply immersed in his culture and publicly participated in different traditional Acholi dances.
According to the draft funeral and burial programme, Oulanyah’s body
on Tuesday, next week, will be moved to Parliament where it will lie in
state for tributes by legislators he headed.
The next day, the body will be taken to Kololo Ceremonial Grounds for
public viewing and an open-air funeral service to be led by the
Archbishop of the Church of Uganda, His Grace Samuel Kaziimba.
The casket will then be flown to Omoro where public viewing of the
body will take place on Thursday ahead of the interment planned for
Friday, April 8.