Kampala. A number of opposition MPs yesterday accused Deputy Jacob Oulanyah of bias over his reported support of the President’s insistence on appointing former Chief of Defence Forces to Cabinet yet he is still a serving military officer.
The MPs said Mr Oulanyah, who by virtue of his position deputises Speaker Rebecca Kadaga on the House Appointments Committee, is now unfit to preside over any meeting to decide Gen Aronda Nyakairima’s fate.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Oulanyah ended in failure as he did not answer repeated calls to his known telephone number.
Parliament spokesperson Hellen Kaweesa told the Daily Monitor yesterday that: “The Constitution and Rules of Procedure require that the deputy speaker can chair a meeting in the absence of the speaker. In case of any queries by the members, the queries can be addressed during the meeting.”
The committee again sits on Monday to vet the former army chief, and state minister for Health-designate Ellioda Tumwesigye having failed to agree the last time they convened over 10 days ago.,
The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mr Nandala Mafabi, yesterday said Mr Oulanyah, as committee chair, is supposed to be impartial and should not have taken sides during last weekend’s meeting with President Museveni. (AFP)
