Speaker Among to Mao: 'We wish you continued stay in Cabinet'

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Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has wished Democratic Party (DP) president and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, a continued stay in Cabinet.

Mao, who is also the Laroo-Pece Division MP-elect, is among those eyeing the coveted seat of the Speaker in the 12th Parliament.

While chairing Parliament’s plenary session on Thursday (March 12), Among wished Mao a happy birthday, as he turned 59.

“One of us was born on the day like today, and that is none other than my brother, Honourable Mao. Join me in celebrating his birthday today,” Among, who is seeking a second Speakership term, rallied the House.

“We want to wish you (Mao) the best and a happy birthday and good health. We wish you a good stay, continued stay in Cabinet in the coming year. And may the good Lord keep you,” she added.

The battle for the Speaker of the 12th Parliament has already taken shape, with the ruling party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) endorsing Among and her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa for a new term.

It emerged last week that President Yoweri Museveni, who is also the National Resistance Movement (NRM) national chairman, had signed a CEC resolution endorsing the duo to retain their seats on February 20, 2026.

In line with the precedence, Among and Tayebwa's names will now be forwarded to the NRM Parliamentary Caucus for their adoption as party candidates on the floor of Parliament after the swearing-in ceremony of the new legislators in May.

The race has so far attracted four other legislators, including Persis Namuganza (housing state minister), Lydia Wanyoto (Mbale City Woman MP-elect), Alioni Yorke Odria (Aringa South) and Florence Asiimwe Akiiki (Masindi Woman).

All these were elected on the NRM ticket, save for Namuganza, who stood on an independent ticket after crying foul in the ruling party primaries.

However, the main battle over this seat is between Among and Mao, who has so far had a significant impact on the campaign.

Mao, who has tried two times without success on the DP ticket to mount a significant challenge to Museveni for the Ugandan presidency, is hoping that the new MPs “respect themselves enough to make decisions in the best interest of the country”.

“The only question before them is whether Parliament needs fixing and whether changing the leadership of Parliament can contribute towards fixing Parliament,” he said on a TV talk show last week.

Mao argued that he has stated numerous times that this is not about him and people don’t need to keep him in the equation because the problem will persist.

“I am not a member of the NRM and that is a deliberate choice. The NRM national chairman approached me in 2021 and invited me to join the Cabinet. I accepted and we held talks and we agreed on a document. Now I believe that when people make commitments, they should be true to those commitments,” he said.

On Wednesday (March 11), the chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, urged all elected MPs belonging to the civic organisation to support Among and Tayebwa after endorsing them.