The Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, died of natural causes, the cousin who took care of him in hospital in America, said on Wednesday, contradicting what the deceased’s father said earlier this week.
Dr Opiyo Oloya, Oulanyah’s cousin, told mourners at a vigil at the late’s residence in Muyenga, Kampala, that the Speaker was at the cancer treatment centre.

“My brother died of natural causes. It was not by design, it was not by anybody. If you are saying somebody did something on him, I say no. Let us focus on honouring the man, the father, the brother, uncle, the leader that he was, the man who cared so deeply,” he said.
Dr Opiyo said Oulanyah went through a lot of pain but he was very strong and positive.
Several government officials, including Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo, ministers, MPs, and friends of the Speaker attended the vigil.

READ: Father claims Oulanyah was poisoned

On Sunday, Mr Nathan Okori, Oulanyah’s father, said his son did not die of natural causes and that he was “poisoned”, but added that the death should not be politicised.
“His death is not easy news to welcome because I know he did not die of natural causes, he was poisoned,” Mr Okori told a handful of mourners at their ancestral home in Omoro District.
Dr Opiyo said he had met Mr Okori and that the Chief Justice had also talked to him.

Chief Justice Owiny Dollo said: “We landed yesterday evening and drove beyond Gulu to meet the father of our fallen brother and then drove back [to Kampala]. I spoke to his father today. He [Okori] thanked me for having gone to see my brother in America [where he died] and made this request that “please bury your brother ki deyo, which means “bury your brother with dignity, honour, and a lot of integrity.”
He added: “Jacob Oulanyah must be buried with royal Bwola dance. The Honourable Prime Minister, let the state get the royal Bwola dance, where I come from, to escort Jacob Oulanyah; I will dance for him.”

READ: Acholi Paramount Chief queries Speaker’s death
See verbatim below;
“Jacob invited me for Christmas last year, so I spent it with the family on Bulago Island [on Lake Victoria]. It was then that I realised that my brother was very sick. He was in a lot of pain on Christmas Eve, and throughout the night.
A man never to say no to his responsibility, Christmas happened to be businessman Amos Nzeyi’s birthday and he [Oulanyah] had agreed to speak at the chapel on that island. Amos’ friends gathered and I think that was one of the last public speeches that my brother gave to a crowd of around 20-30 people, and after that, we had to go to hospital because he was already sick.

Christmas in hospital
So we spent that Christmas in the hospital at Medipal, and the day after at Mulago [Hospital]. Mulago did a very good job taking care of my brother. I had to go back to work in January. I left here on January 9. He [Oulanyah] went to Turkey then he came back, became very sick and was then flown to America. We would talk every day and he would update me of his sickness. At that time, I wasn’t sure of what the issue was. All I knew was that he was sick and he was in a lot of pain when he went to America. I let him know that I was going to be with him.
So on Thursday, February 17, I flew over to Seattle [where Oulanyah was hospitalised]. I arrived at night, but I was very busy the entire Friday, completing some work that I needed to do remotely. So I finally went to the hospital on Saturday, and I was prepared.

I was allowed in at around 10pm. Patricia Akidi was there and she had been taking good care of him,  so I asked her to rest as I take care of my brother. He was at the University of Washington Hospital. I didn’t know what my brother was suffering from, except that he was in the cancer ward.
You don’t get put in the cancer ward unless there is something that needs doing. I have heard so many things in the media and it is wrong. They don’t have the facts. Coming to February 20, at some point around midnight, we finally pitted out, we were tired, I lay down on a small little coat, and we kept talking and telling stories as we were trying to sleep.

It was coming to 2:40am of Sunday when he [Oulanyah] woke me up.  “Opiyo Opiyo wod [son of] Oloya, I am in a lot of pain.” And he was. So I said it is ok,  ‘maybe I can call the nurses’ and he said “it is okay, let them rest.”
Again, Jacob was always thinking about other people. So I said ‘okay if things are this way, let me pray.’ So I prayed a simple prayer in Acholi, ‘Yesu ka in iwod pa Lubanga bin ikwany aremi oko ikom omera’ , which means ‘Jesus, if you are the son of God, come and remove this pain away from my brother.’ And I felt the force and the power. The pain seemed to go away and he went to sleep. However, [his condition] started changing. I left on Monday (February 21)  to go back to work in Canada, and I promised that I would  return.

I did on March 11 and stayed with him but by this time, his condition had deteriorated. He went through a lot of pain but he was very strong and very positive. He went with a clean heart but he fought.
If anybody could fight for life, Jacob did but it was not to be. Jacob died of natural causes. My brother died of natural causes. It was not by design, it was not by anybody. If you are saying somebody did something on him, I say no. Let us focus on honouring the man, the father, the brother, uncle, the leader that he was, the man who cared so deeply.”