The National Legislative Assembly’s Spokesperson, Hon. Oliver Mori, has issued a verbal apology to the National Security Service (NSS) for false accusations regarding the denial of the First Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel, from traveling abroad.
A controversy emerged after conflicting letters surfaced about the approval of the First Deputy Speaker’s leave. One letter was dated September 20, 2024, and the other was approved on September 25, 2024. The discrepancy sparked allegations from Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel, who accused the NSS, including the Director General, of preventing him from traveling to Kampala.
However, Hon. Mori clarified that the initial claim was unfounded. “Our First Deputy Speaker disagreed with the National Security Service, even accusing the Director General. After investigating the matter, we found that the accusation was not accurate. The NSS did not prevent him from traveling.”
The issue stemmed from procedural oversight. According to Hon. Mori, the Deputy Speaker had approved his leave form, which is against protocol. The security officers at Juba Airport, following their routine checks on constitutional office holders, requested the proper approval from the Speaker of Parliament, which Rt. Hon. Oyet had not initially obtained.
“The Deputy Speaker’s leave form needed the Speaker’s approval, not his own. This caused the security service to flag the issue, and he was denied departure. Once the Speaker’s approval was secured, the Deputy Speaker was cleared to travel,” Mori explained.
Acknowledging the mistake, Hon. Mori expressed the Parliament’s regret for the misunderstanding. “As Parliament, we accept our fault in this matter and extend our apologies to the National Security Service, particularly to the Director General, for the wrongful accusation.”
The National Security Service’s Public Relations Director, David John has welcomed the apology and said security officers have no problem with anyone in the country but work diligently to protect the national interest.
The two officials made these remarks during the commemoration of the International Day for Universal Access to Information in Juba, where he narrated the sequence of events to journalists and stakeholders.
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