Speaker Among condoles with the late Ogwal’s family

By George Emuron

Kampala: Speaker of Parliament Anita Among Annet has this morning condoled with the family of the late Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal, describing her as a mentor who helped improve new entrants in Parliament.

“It is a pity that she has passed on. We condole with the family and people of Lango and Uganda. Some of us young ladies joined Parliament because we used to admire Hon. Cecilia Ogwal for the way she was articulate and the way she would discuss issues concerning this country. We have lost a role model,” Among said.

Speaker Among visited the bereaved family in the company of the Commissioner, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, and other Members of Parliament.

Hon. Ogwal, 77, breathed her last in India on Thursday morning after a short illness in India.

She passed her condolences to Mzee Lameck Ogwal, the husband of the late Ogwal, and urged him to remain strong and faithful to God. She eulogized the late Ogwal as a role model to many.

The Secretary General of Lango Parliamentary Group, Hon. Samuel Opio Acuti (Indep, Kole North County), also a family relative, eulogized the late Ogwal, who was fondly referred to as Atat, as the “barometer and compass of Lango.”

“Atat is someone of seniority. When I was going to stand for Kole North Constituency, it was in this sitting room that she gave me the blessings. I last talked to her about two weeks ago. We have lost an iron lady, a vocal and strong-hearted woman,” he said.

Bugweri County Member of Parliament, Hon. Abdu Katuntu, acknowledged that it was in Ogwal’s sitting room in Bugolobi that his political journey started 30 years ago.

“I wouldn’t be a politician, but this sitting room changed me from being a lawyer to a politician… Hon. Cecilia was a great woman who would assert her authority,” Katuntu said.

The Parliamentary Commissioner, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, remembers Ogwal as a rare breed of politician.

“Cecilia was a household name. Every time she picked up a microphone, she was speaking about the country and people. She is a rare breed of politician because you would not be ashamed of what she would say,” he said.

Ogwal was one of the longest-serving legislators, having served since 1996. At the time of her death, she was a member of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure and the Committee on Budget.

She also served as Uganda’s representative to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and Parliamentary Commissioner.

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