Cyprian Musoke and Paul Kiwuuwa
12 January 2008
Kampala — BRITAIN'S Queen Elizabeth II is still recounting her visit to Uganda, Parliament Speaker Edward Ssekandi, fresh from a visit to Buckingham Palace has said.
Addressing the parliamentary staff end of year party in the parliamentary gardens on Thursday evening, Ssekandi said the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh told him they had not been received so "awesomely" in a long time.
"I returned from the UK on Wednesday evening, having attended a meeting of the Commonwealth Speakers Association. I was received by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in London.
"I shared a luncheon with Her Majesty and I must repeat to you Her Majesty's endless gratitude and her recounting of her visit to the Parliament of Uganda and the indelible impression of her reception. They told me that whenever she gets a chance, all she talks about these days is her visit to Uganda.
"The Queen remarked on the good weather and clearly remembers the crowds that lined Entebbe road to wave at her. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh thanked you for having tirelessly worked towards making their visit so memorable," Ssekandi said.
Present at the party, were the Government's Chief Whip, Kabakumba Masiko, the Leader of the Opposition Ogenga Latigo and Opposition Chief whip Kassiano Wadri.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Uganda on November 22, the first time the British monarch had visited the East African country in 53 years.
Most Ugandan citizens relished the chance to have the head of the royal family in their midst.
At the party, the outgoing chairman of the Office of Parliamentary Professional Development and outgoing Director of Planning, Emmanuel Pinto, officially retired, and the parliamentary staff presented him with a gift of a reclining chair.
Margaret Ndaula, hitherto Director of Legislative Services, received a gas cooker and cylinder as a retirement gift, while Richard Del Balinda received a 21-inch television set complete with digital satellite connection.
Parliamentary staff who are used to a serious Ssekandi got to know another side of him during dance time, when he got down on the dance floor with Kabakumba Masiko.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
