Video: Oulanyah ran away because he couldn’t handle age limit debate, claims Kadaga

Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has stung her deputy Jacob Oulanyah for declining to chair the House as it debated and decided on the age limit bill in 2017.

Kadaga made the stinging remark as she launched her campaign to retain the speaker position, the third topmost in the country’s political hierarchy after the president and vice president.

Kadaga is the incumbent speaker, after taking over from now 10-year-long vice president Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi in 2011.

Before becoming speaker, Kadaga was Speaker Ssekandi’s deputy.

In the race due in May 2021, Kadaga is facing her deputy Jacob Oulanyah, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, and Democratic Party (DP) Bukoto Central MP-elect Richard Ssebamala.

Kadaga’s speaker campaign launch happened on March 24 at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

“My Deputy Oulanyah ran away during the handling of the Age limit bill,” claimed Kadaga.

“During the age limit bill, my Deputy rang me and said there was something he couldn’t handle. I was in the US but I came back, straight into the fire and he ran away.”

In September 2017, Oulanyah deferred the tabling of two conflicting motions sparked off by Igara West MP Raphael Magyezi’s age limit bill because Speaker Kadaga was on a trip in London.

“None of these motions will come to this floor until we have a discussion with the speaker on Thursday [September 21, 2017] morning about the two notice,” ruled Oulanyah.

“If it requires the Business committee to determine what happens, then the committee will sit but if by the authority of the speaker and the meeting is necessary to schedule it for business, then the business will be scheduled for Thursday afternoon.”