The body of the deceased former state minister for labour, Col. (rtd) Charles Okello Engola, was brought to Parliament on Tuesday so that lawmakers could pay their respects.
Shortly after 10 a.m., Speaker Anita Among received the former Oyam North MP’s body and then signed a condolence book as a pall of sadness hung over the House.
Afterward, the body’s casket was positioned in the middle of the South Wing lobby of Parliament.
Several lawmakers and family members in the lobby then followed Speaker Among’s lead and paid their respects by going to view the body and bowing their heads.
The majority of them donned black, a hue frequently seen during mourning times.
Throughout the proceedings, some lawmakers sobbed uncontrollably and became distraught.
Before the special session at 2 o’clock, when lawmakers will pay respect to the former minister who was shot and murdered by one of his bodyguards, Pte. Wilson Sabiiti, the body will remain lying in the foyer.
Last Tuesday, a shooting took place at the minister’s residence in the Kampala suburb of Kyanja Zone. Later, Pte. Sabiiti shot himself in the head to end his life.
A requiem mass will be held at Kololo Independence grounds on Wednesday for the late minister, with President Museveni expected to be the chief mourner.
Prior to his funeral on Saturday, the body will be transported to Oyam District on Thursday.
Charles’ Political Career
In the armed forces, Engola oversaw the UPDF 501 Brigade, which had its headquarters at Opit in the Gulu District. The brigade took part in the battle against the Lord’s Resistance Army. In 2007, he retired from the military after being elevated to the rank of colonel.
Under the platform of the dominant NRM political party, Engola successfully ran for the Local Council 5 and Oyam District Council Chairmanships during the 2006 presidential election cycle. In a landslide victory, he received 93 percent of the vote.
He was re-elected in 2011, and he presided over the Oyam District local council for ten years beginning in 2006. He was elected to the Oyam North constituency in 2016.
Engola was appointed to the cabinet as the State Minister of Defense on June 6, 2016.
Engola kept his position after the December 14, 2019 cabinet shift.
He was leading government representatives from the Republic of Uganda in a celebration of World Labor Day on May 1, 2023, in the Mayuge District of eastern Uganda when he passed away.
At the time of his passing, he was the State Minister for Labor, Employment, and Industrial Relations.