By Speaker Anita Among expressed sympathy to the family of the late Dokolo Woman Member of Parliament, Cecilia Ogwal, this morning, calling her a mentor who helped advance newcomers to the legislature.
“It is a pity that she has passed on. We condole with the family, people of Lango and Uganda. Some of us the young ladies joined Parliament because we used to admire Hon. Cecilia Ogwal; 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 Commissioner, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, and other Members of Parliament.
Among sent her sympathies to the late Ogwal’s husband, Mzee Lameck Ogwal, and prayed for him to continue being strong and obedient to God. She extolled the late Ogwal as a man who inspired many.
Honorable Samuel Opio Acuti (Indep, Kole North County), Secretary General of the Lango Parliamentary Group and a family member paid tribute to the late Ogwal, affectionately known as Atat, calling him 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 is 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.
Parliamentary Commissioner, Hon. Mathias Mpuuga remembers Ogwal as a rare breed of politician.
“Cecilia was a household name. Every time she picked a microphone, she spoke about speaking country and its people. A rare breed of politician because you would not be ashamed of what she would speak,” 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.
