Gen. Kainerugaba asks Mao to drop house speaker bid
In a social media post on April 10, 2026, Gen. Muhoozi described Mao as his “big brother” and appealed to him to step aside from a race that was shaping up to be politically intense.
Justice minister Norbert Mao posted on X on Sunday (April 12), stating that his foot was "firmly on the gas pedal and there is no reducing the pressure". (File photo)
________________
Chief of Defence Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba has urged justice minister Norbert Mao to drop his bid for Speaker of the 12th Parliament.
In a social media post on April 10, 2026, Gen. Muhoozi described Mao as his “big brother” and appealed to him to step aside from a race that was shaping up to be politically intense.
“I respectfully request my big brother Ladit @norbertmao to not run for Speaker of Parliament. Please listen to your younger brother. We can get better positions,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Mao, who is also president general of the opposition Democratic Party, is currently attending the National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary retreat, which began on April 7 at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi district.
He also posted on X on Sunday (April 12), stating that his foot was "firmly on the gas pedal and there is no reducing the pressure".
"This is not about me. It is about the issues that need to be addressed on merit as earlier guided. Those who were lying to the public that the race was closed now stand corrected," he added.
While officially opening the retreat on April 8, 2026, President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the NRM national chairman, further stirred the contest when he said the matter would be addressed at “the right time”.
He told participants that the party’s Central Executive Committee had, on February 20, 2026, recommended that the incumbent Speaker Anita Among and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa retain their positions in the 12th Parliament, in line with established practice.
“This was our recommendation. It is not us who decide; we recommend, and then we can reason why. So, when the time comes, we shall be able to discuss it and explain why, but we are not the ones who elect. We recommend, and we support our recommendation with reasons,” Museveni said.
This followed remarks by Alioni Yorke Odria, an NRM legislator seeking the speakership, who called for adherence to the rule of law and equity within the party’s top organ.
The race has also attracted other contenders, including Persis Namuganza, Lydia Wanyoto and Florence Asiimwe Akiiki.
All were elected on the NRM ticket except Namuganza, who ran as an independent after disputing the party primaries.
However, the main contest remains between Among and Mao, with Mao emerging as a significant force in the race.