Museveni Orders Flags to Fly at Half-mast as Uganda Mourns Oulanyah

President Yoweri Museveni has directed that the flags in Uganda fly at half-mast until Speaker of Parliament Jacob Olanyah is laid to rest.

"... I direct that the flags in Uganda fly at half- masts until the burial of the Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah. This is provided for in the official burials' procedures," the president tweeted Monday afternoon.

According to the tweet, the president has also activated the National Organizing Committee, under the Minister of the Presidency Milly Babalanda -- to organize the official burial of the Late Speaker. 

President Museveni announced Sunday that he had received information about the death of the Omoro County MP at 10:30am.

In his Monday tweet, the president said the government will stand his with family in this challenging period.

"I extend my condolences, the condolences of my family and of all Ugandans to the children of Oulanyah and to his wider family.  The government and the NRM will always stand with them," he tweeted.

"I will say more about Rt. Hon. Oulanyah in the coming days."

Born in 1965 and a lawyer by profession, Oulanyah successfully joined politics in 2001 as Omoro County MP.

Over the years, he played noble roles in the ruling NRM government, including serving as deputy speaker and participating in the peace talks between the government of Uganda and the Lord's Resistance Army rebels.