Parliament Speaker race: Pressure group says embarking on tour to promote Namuganza

JINJA - As the number of aspirants for the speakership race of the 12th Parliament continues growing, a cross-section of supporters have formed a pressure group backing the Bukono constituency legislator, Persis Namuganza of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) partyfor the slot.

Namuganza became the second elected Member of Parliament (MP) to declare her bid for the top seat in Parliament after Justice Minister, also the Democratic Party (DP) president general, Norbert Mao, against the incumbent, Annet Anita Among (NRM).

Two more aspirants, Mbale City Woman MP-elect Lydia Wanyoto, and Alion Yorke Odria of Aringa South in Yumbe district, would later announce their intention to challenge Among’s second tenure, deviating from NRM's norm of two terms.

Dubbed Uganda Now, the pressure group comprising members from different political parties says it plans to traverse the entire country soliciting for Namuganza’s support.

Madox Lugada, the team leader from the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) on February 25, 2026, said their resolve was due to her public record that reflects principled leadership, fidelity to national values and unrelenting commitment to advancing the interests of Ugandans.

Lugada, who is also the Jinja district FDC chairperson, challenged the MPs to back Namuganza in the spirit of national unity and institutional integrity. (Credit: Jackie Nambogga)

Launching the campaigns at Speke Courts Hotel in Jinja city, Lugada, who is also the Jinja district FDC chairperson, challenged the MPs to back Namuganza in the spirit of national unity and institutional integrity.

To the Opposition, Lugada appealed to them to act in what he termed as the supreme national interest by supporting a candidate whose leadership credentials and integrity were beyond reproach. 

However, at the heart of the battle for speakership, analysts say, is a dominant National Resistance Movement (NRM), which commands a driving seat in terms of representation in the House.

Dr Yusuf Sserunkuma, a political researcher, recently told New Vision that with the NRM controlling the numbers on one hand, and the endorsement of the current, Speaker Among, and her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, by the ruling party’s top organ, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) on the other, the other contenders might be looking for one thing — political visibility.

“The majority of the candidates that are contesting for the speakership race are seeking visibility from the President, and maybe some appointments as ministers or state ministers,” Sserunkuma said.