The National Resistance Movement party, Central Executive Committee (CEC) yesterday picked Omoro County Member of Parliament, Mr Jacob Oulanyah, as its flag bearer for the Parliament Speaker race.
Critics have before mocked Oulanyah as good a puppet, but President Museveni has often disagreed; mollycoddling Oulanyah as a loyal cadre.
But just how did a flamboyant Oulanyah with an impressive intelligence, a Johnny-come-lately to the ruling party fold, become a darling of the Executive?
Oulanyah, son of Okori, has since Dr Obote College, Boroboro, days climbed higher and inched closer to the corridors of power. His only misstep five years ago came when he dared challenge his boss, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga.
Then, Oulanyah had edged too close to the hot seat; and like wax-winged Greek fairy Icarus, son of Daedalus, Oulanyah’s false wings melted.
He was only saved from a catastrophic fall by clutching onto the open hand of President Museveni. But he is back with a bang, and a backing.
Five years ago, he was a vulnerable man. Oulanyah’s vulnerabilities are also his admirable traits: the burst of energy, arrogant brilliance, and blind loyalty to power. These flaws bring down Oulanyah to a court jester; what the Acholi call rwot ineka – a courtier who lets out a burst of deep loud hearty laughter at every joke the king cracks. But this, surely, is not the old affable, lovable, and proud ‘citizen king’ –Jacob Olanya Okori – of Boroboro.
Until after Boroboro College, the Speaker candidate was called Olanya, which he later changed to Oulanyah.
A spirited and brilliant youth, Oulanyah was nicknamed the ‘Citizen King’. He had a special knack for debating and soon distinguished himself as an enviable orator.
Oulanyah soon became the poster boy for Boroboro squad in the round robin Northern Uganda Debating League. He always opened the floor debate by setting the tone after the first two principal speakers.
It was also common that Oulanyah summed up the floor debate to give it a powerful finish for Boroboro, the same way did his predecessors Justice David Kutosi Wangutusi, then Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Charles Elem Ogwal and Uganda Peoples Congress spokesperson Okello Lucima.
Oulanyah’s reputation preceded him; he narrowly lost the National Union of Students of Uganda president slot to late Jude Otim but gained the position when the latter was ejected.
His fans felt he was chosen by the grace of God and the will of the people and named ‘citizen king’ after the tradition of French king Louis-Philippe. It was unsurprising, therefore, that he likened President Museveni to Jesus.
There were echoes of divination in Oulanyah’s acceptance speech upon re-election as Deputy Speaker exactly five years ago.
Luck did not abandon him. He was in 1990 elected the speaker of Makerere University Student’s Guild. Teaming up with Guild President Norbert Mao, they became the doyen of student Opposition to hardline NRM government’s cut back of student benefits, known then by the moniker boom.
Oulanyah then stared death in the face as he was battered and his spleen raptured by the police as they repressed students’ strike. Two university students, Tom Okema and Tom Onyango, were shot dead.
Oulanyah’s bravado had ushered him into the limelight, reinforced by his return to Makerere for a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree and later Bar course after his BSC in Agricultural Economics. And before long, Oulanyah found his true love –politics.
Joining Parliament
When then UPDF’s Col Walter Ochora, who died a couple of years ago, defeated him in 1996 for the Gulu District chairperson position, Oulanyah in 2001 contested for Omoro County MP on UPC ticket and won.
Mao was Gulu Municipality MP. The two teamed up and built a reputation of brilliance and flawless articulation in Parliament. One such superior argument on Acholi land rights was to draw the wrath of an army MP, a General, who reportedly attacked Oulanyah in the corridors of Parliament.
Soon whispers were also adrift that Oulanyah was in bed with NRM, which often poached gifted opponents. After repeated denial, Mr Oulanyah fell for the allure and openly began hobnobbing with NRM ideologues.
Now the man from Omoro is an unapologetic NRM cadre, with a sticky job to execute ill-chosen tasks for NRM. Put another way, he is the President’s fall guy. For this, his admirers and critics alike label him a confusing agent – lanywen.
Lanywen was his proposed magic formula to root out corruption in Gulu as he wrestled for the district council chair in 1996. But today, lanywen perfectly describes Oulanyah’s frequent swing around.