Onek sues three MPs over calling him South Sudanese

Hilary Onek the relief and disaster preparedness Minister. Photo file

The relief and disaster preparedness minister, Hilary Onek, has dragged three Members of Parliament (MPs) to court, demanding sh400m in damages for allegedly defaming him.

Onek, who is also the Lamwo County MP, filed the suit against Aruu County MP Odonga Otto, Kilak South County MP Gilbert Olanya and Chua West County MP Philip Polly Okin in the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala, recently.

The legislator said on June 17, the trio, together with Stella Kijange, appeared on a talk show hosted by Stephen Komakech and uttered false statements against him that were detrimental.

He said Otto accused him of not being a Ugandan and that he masquerades as an Acholi when his "real" family roots are in South Sudan.

The minister accused Otto of alleging that he knows his brother, who serves as a permanent secretary in Juba and sister who also serves as an MP in Sudan.

He further said Otto accused him of intimidating him (Otto) and his colleagues, including the Leader of Opposition (LOP) in Parliament, Betty Aol Ocan, by barring them from visiting Lamwo district.

That Otto claimed to have a letter in which Onek warned them against going to Lamwo.

"Otto alleged that Onek, acting through his personal assistant, Thomas Oketayot, hired youth from a bar to beat up the Leader of Opposition and MP Philip Okin at an event," reads the court documents.

The minister contends that the allegation that he is not a Ugandan serves to alienate him from his people in Lamwo and also buttress other allegations that he is an oppressive grabber.

He denied intimidating the LOP or the defendants (Otto, Olanya and Okin) but wrote to the Clerk to Parliament, Jane Kibirige, stating that as the area MP, he was not aware of any land wrangles that Aol's visit intended to address.

Onek added that MPs Olanya and Ojara, the co-guests at the radio talk show, seconded the false utterances and statements.

"The defendants spread the defamatory allegations against me through social media and various platforms, as well as my friends," he contends.

The documents further indicate that in May, the defendants moved around Acholi sub-region on a fact-finding mission about the land grabbing allegations in Lamwo district.

Onek said the allegations and statements made by the defendants are not true and that they are mere accusations intended to taint hi reputation.

He wants court to prompt the MPs to issue a joint public apology to him and retract their statements.