Police have begun gathering evidence which is linked to several members of the public to the death of Speaker Jacob Oulanyah.
After the death of Jacob Oulanyah last week, several people are claiming several things about his death, including that his death is not a normal death. It is a murder; even his father, too, stated that his son had been poisoned, and the narrative has since gained ground with many people, especially on social media, who have since made the same claims.
According to Police spokesperson Fred Enanga, the Criminal Investigations Division headquarters at Kibuli have opened up a case file as investigations into the speculations kick-off.
“We have opened a case file at CID in which all persons assume the Rt’s cause of death. Hon. Jacob Oulanhay will give us statements.” We are currently transcribing footage, videos, and audio. “We’re scouring all digital platforms for evidence from whoever was making whatever speculation about the death,” Enanga said.
The police spokesperson demonstrated that, of late, it had become a common platform for members of the public, especially on social media, to guess about the deaths of prominent persons despite postmortem reports indicating the exact cause of death. Still, Enanga said this would not be tolerated.
“These days, it appears like if a VIP dies, it can’t be taken as a natural death, but something else. That should stop because medical experts are available to reveal the cause of death and therefore there should be any assumptions.”
According to Enanga, after Oulanyah’s burial, police will begin recording statements from people who speculated about what happened in order to determine the next course of action.
Asked whether Oulanyah’s father, Nathan Okori, who started the assumption about his son’s death, will be called for questioning. Enanga said all this would be determined after the burial of the deceased Speaker of Parliament.
“The list(of those to be questioned) will be availed after the burial to see who will record statements.”
The development comes on the heels of President Museveni’s warning that those assuming about Oulanyah’s death would soon be invited to assist police in their investigations.
“I’d like to warn some people who have a habit of exploiting problems in order to make cheap politics.” And, in fact, we’re going after them because I’ve heard that some people murdered Oulanyah. “The police will come and ask you for information because Oulanyah did not die in a private home,” Museveni said at the Kololo independence grounds on Friday.
