By Mulengera Reporters
In what amounted to abusing the privilege that comes with being a Member of Parliament, Kilak County Gilbert Olanya (FDC) on Tuesday deceptively/untruthfully complained against what he called total alienation and exclusion of people from the greater north from the list of newly posted PSs.
Olanyah falsely claimed that Museveni hates people from that part of the country because, in his view, none of the PSs comes from Teso, Acholi, Lango, Karamoja and West Nile. Speaker Oboth-Oboth, who chaired the session, was initially differential towards what Olanyah was saying and jokingly demanded to know why he hadn’t included his native area of Tororo in Bukedi sub region.
“Sharing is caring, even the Japhadolas qualify to be PSs [but they didn’t’ get any],” Oboth joked, a thing that motivated Olanyah to rant on. Oboth-Oboth then signaled Minister David Bahati, who represented the leader of government business, to respond to Olanyah’s concerns.
Bahati, rode on the rider Oboth-Oboth had given to remind Olanyah that Gen Museveni is the appointing authority who is mandated to choose whoever he prefers and that no one can stop him. Oboth-Oboth had also assured Olanyah that, mush as there was nothing Parliament could do about the grievances he was whining about, the concerns he raised would in some way reach the President who he said regularly watches such plenary sessions of Parliament via UBC TV.
Without being rude, David Bahati defended the President making it clear that what Olanyah asserted wasn’t entirely true. “I implore my colleague to look at that list properly once again and see for himself. He will realize that what he has just said here isn’t the truth,” Bahati said as he disclaimed by making it clear that the ultimate decision is the President’s and not his.
The truth of the matter is that Hon Olanyah wasn’t being entirely truthful to say that the sub regions he named totally got no single PS. On the list is Mzee Livingstone Okello Okello’s daughter Ketty Lamaro (for Health Service Commission) who hails from Kitgum district’s Chua County which is part of Acholi sub region where Olanyah hails from too.
Whereas Olanyah claimed there was no one on the list from Teso, Gloria Asio Omaswa, the President’s very powerful PPS, is from Teso sub region. The Energy PS Eng Irene Batebe Okello has links in Acholi because her husband hailed from there. Even after his lies had been exposed, Olanyah asserted that Uganda is for people from all regions and complained about a certain tribe he didn’t name for taking a lion’s share on the new PSs list.
