Hon. Ezati Kassiano Wadri has taken oath as the new Member of Parliament representing Arua Municipality replacing Ibrahim Abiriga, who was killed in June.
Kassiano Wadri won a controversial by election held on 15 August 2018 before which him together with a host of legislators and his supporters were arrested and later charged with treason. Wadri and his colleagues including Robert Kyagulanyi , Hon. Francis Zaake, Hon. Paul Mwiru and Hon. Gerald Karuhanga have since been granted bail.
The swearing in ceremony was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah.
Oulanyah said that the return of Wadri is a sign of independence in some of the institutions within the country.
“We can have confidence in some of the systems in this country because Hon. Wadri is here with us as a result of a functional court,” he said, adding that, “If there was interference in the functionality of court Wadri would not be here.”
Oulanyah said that under ordinary circumstances, it would be hard for Wadri to be granted bail because of the offences he is charged with.
“However, we saw that the Judge was able to take his own decision and grant Wadri and other MPs bail,” he added.
Wadri previously served as the Member of Parliament for Terego County, Arua District and is a former member of Forum for Democratic Change.
He served in the 7th, 8th and 9th Parliaments where at different times, was the Opposition Chief Whip, the Chairperson of the Committee on Government Assurances and the Public Accounts Committee
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