Police have summoned the leader of the opposition political group, National Unity Platform, Robert Kyagulanyi ssentamu alias Bobi Wine, Nathan Okori who is the father to former Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah and a number of other people for questioning about speculations that Oulanyah succumbed to poison.
The former Speaker died on Sunday March 20, 2022 in Seattle, U.S where he was receiving treatment. His candle burned out just three days to his 57th birthday and his body was laid to rest last week on Friday April 8.
Government said he died due to multiple organ failure and that he also had cancer. However, various individuals including Oulanyah’s father insist that the former Speaker was poisoned and it is this that caused his death.
While addressing a weekly presser at Naguru police headquarters on Monday, Police Spokesperson, CP Fred Enanga said medical reports in their custody do not in any way point to presence of poison in the deceased’s system.
As such, he says that the summoned individuals will aid police’s investigations into the matter.
“The public should know that in all deaths by poisoning, the identification of poisonous substances is vital and the presence of poison in the system must be proven. From the medical records that we have so far obtained, there was no presence of poison in the systematic circulation and all body organs,” CP Enanga said.
“The deceased was treated in hospitals in Uganda, Germany and the U.S under constant supervision with numerous samples being taken regularly for analysis. All the samples did not offer any clues for poisoning.”
“Therefore, we are summoning all those persons with other causes of death including poisoning for further interview and statement recording. These include Hon Godfrey Suubi Kiwanda, Hon Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, Hon Chris Baryomunsi, Hon Gilbert Olanya, Hon Santa Okot, Mzee Okori Nathan, Bosmic Otim, selected cultural and local leaders and several bloggers,” adds Enanga.
He explains that the group is summoned “to provide us with a chain of evidence regarding that other cause of death and the things they alleged. If they have evidence of how the crime of poisoning was committed, they should provide that information to us beyond reasonable doubt – by whom, how the poison was acquired, route of access to the victim whether directly or indirectly, any parallel certificates of death etcetera.”
As such, Police have also opened a file of offensive communication in relation to the matter at headquarters of the police department of criminal investigations.
Poison speculations
The rumour of Oulanyah’s poisoning were first revealed by his father, 92 year old Nathan Okori at a night vigil at his ancestral home in Ajuri village, Omoro District on March 20.
Okori who is also the chief of the Okaruwok Oyeto clan in Lango revealed that his son, Oulanyah confined to him that he was given poison which has eventually led to his death.
He revealed that on two occasions while speaking on phone the late Jacob Oulanyah expressed fear that one male person in Omoro and another female in Kampala of whom he shared his meals with could have been behind his death.
Government presents medical report on cause of Oulanyah’s death
A medical report presented to Parliament on Tuesday last week by the Minister of Health, Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, revealed that the immediate cause of death of the former Speaker Jacob L’Okori Oulanyah, was multiple organ failure.
“The heart, lungs, liver and kidney all failed. The liver started failing while he was in Uganda and the lungs had started collecting fluids,” she said.
Aceng said that Oulanyah was diagnosed with cancer in 2019.
“He discovered a swelling on the neck, he took it upon himself to seek medical attention in Germany, where the swelling was removed and analyzed and he was told that it was cancer, she said adding that, ’he was started on treatment which he finished at the Uganda Cancer Institute’.
She added that he subsequently visited other hospitals over the same but due to the challenges during the lockdown and during elections, he was not able to be treated in hospital.
“On 23 January 2022, he was admitted to Mulago for two weeks and during that time, he was being prepared to travel to get gene therapy treatment known as the CAR T- Cell which did not require more chemotherapy which had already supressed the bone marrow,” she said.
Aceng added that tests were carried out, biopsy tissues recalled for further analysis and the bone marrow analysed.
The Minister in her report added that Oulanyah also developed multiple bacterial and viral infections.
“The treatment of the viral infections continued to suppress the bone marrow, which lead to its total suppression,” she said.
There were also contributory conditions which included a lymphatic system depletion.
Aceng also revealed that while in Makerere, Oulanyah lost his spleen following a student strike there. She said that the manufactures both the red and white blood cells.
“He started having gastritis bleeding into the abdomen because of the lack of platelets and we couldn’t stop the bleeding. He also had drug resistant bacteria, which is usually hospital acquired when you stay long in the Hospital,” she added.
Museveni orders arrest of those who claimed Oulanyah was poisoned
While addressing Members of Parliament at Kololo, President Yoweri Museveni said perpetrators of false rumours must be arrested and prosecuted.
“I would like to warn people who are in the habit of taking advantage of problems to make cheap politics and actually we shall go for them because I have heard some people saying; ‘that oh, Oulanyah was killed.’ The police are going to come and say; ok you tell us, you seem to have some information because Oulanyah did not die in a private home. He died in a highly reputable hospital, and before that, he was in another big hospital in Dubai and before that he was in our big hospitals here including the Cancer Institute.”
He did not name the alleged perpetrators of the false information but kept on referring to some leaders in the country.
Oulanyah’s father insists son was poisoned
Speaking to mourners on Friday, Oulanyah’s father Nathan Okori repeated his earlier assertions that his son had been poisoned.
Speaking in his native Acholi language and translated by opposition politician and Democratic Party president Norbert Mao, Mr Okori said, “I am not mourning in vain. I want to state clearly, Jacob was poisoned. He told me. The poison affected his health so badly that by the time they flew him out for the country for treatment, he was not in position to recover. He was too weak.”
Kiwanda and ICT Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi get involved
While appearing on Capital FM’s Capital Gang on Saturday, Godfrey Kiwanda, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) vice chairman for Buganda region and former minister for Tourism, claimed that the late Jacob Oulanyah confided in him too that he had been poisoned, adding that he’d been sworn to secrecy not to say anything at the time.
“I find no contradiction with Oulanyah’s father who insists that his son was poisoned, the late Rt. Hon Jacob Oulanyah told me too that he was poisoned,” Kiwanda said.
Kiwanda however in a separate interview said he informed Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of ICT about it.
It is for this reason that Mzee Nathan Okori, Godfrey Kiwanda Ssuubi, Chris Baryomunsi are summoned for questioning. Other summoned politicians, cultural leaders and bloggers are alleged to have made related statements on different occasions.