The Rotary fraternity in Uganda has praised the former Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah for his generosity and open-door reception to people of all walks of life.
Oulanyah was an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Kampala Central band a Major Donor (Level 5) having contributed USD 57,000 (204 million Shillings) to the Rotary Foundation, a trust fund that is administered as the cornerstone for Rotary service and programs from where resources are drawn to finance humanitarian activities across the world.
John Magezi Ndamira, the Governor of Rotary District 9213 described Oulanyah as a humble, and approachable leader who interacted with everybody which made him part of the Rotary fraternity. He added that the former Speaker’s generosity through donations to the Rotary Foundation improved the lives of several vulnerable Ugandans through Rotary activities which among others include peace promotion, disease control and prevention, provision of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, education and environmental protection.
“When he was invited to commission one of the projects and was getting his first Major Donor Level, Oulanyah said Rotary was an enterprise worth investing in because it replaces despair with hope,” Ndamira recalled, and added that Oulanyah has always said that, ‘it does not matter how much wealth one has, but rather on how they respond to the calling of donating to support humanity’.
The District Governor also extended Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta’s condolences to the family, Parliament and the country at large on the saddening demise of late Oulanyah. “He has never forgotten and will never forget the way Rotary was recognized in Parliament courtesy of the departed Oulanyah. I encourage his family to walk in his Rotary footsteps,” Ndamira said.
Past Rotary District Governor Kenneth Wycliff Mugisa said that Oulanyah had a heart of gold because his actions touched the lives of people he never knew. “We have lost a person who was never thinking about his home area in Omoro District. Let us emulate him, walk his journey and make the world a better place to live in,” he said.
Rotary District Governor-Elect, Mike Sebalu observed that Oulanyah had lived a short but fully accomplished life, adding that he was extremely intelligent, an orator whose messages were never ambiguous.
“He is someone you could call an emerging leader of our time and those of us who shared with him in terms of generational leadership will definitely miss him a lot,” Sebalu said.
The Deputy Editor of Hansard at Parliament, Helen Kaweesa said Oulanyah espoused the virtues of a Rotarian and was a humble person despite his position as the Speaker of Parliament. “He was a peaceful man who always preached forgiveness and encouraged us to pray and leave our battles to God. We thank him for giving selflessly and for opening the doors of Parliament to Rotary,” said Kaweesa.
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