After humiliating Anita Among with black mail publicity and forcing her to withdraw from Speaker reelection,National Resistance Movement (NRM) Electoral Commission is undertaking the expression of interest exercise for speaker and deputy speaker positions of the 12th parliament.
The exercise that begun yesterday evening until today Saturday evening has sofar attracted a total of eight candidates on both positions.
The move follows a directive from the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC), which met yesterday to chart the party’s strategy ahead of the inauguration of the 12th Parliament.
NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson Dr. Tanga Odoi said interested party members were formally invited yesterday to pick and submit expression of interest forms for the two parliamentary positions.
Odoi revealed that all nominees will undergo a shortlisting process before their names are forwarded to another CEC meeting scheduled for tomorrow at State House, Entebbe.
Following the CEC deliberations, the ruling party is expected to convene a caucus meeting where NRM MPs-elect will choose the final candidates to carry the party flag in Parliament.
The NRM Parliamentary Caucus meets on Sunday at State House Entebbe, chaired by President Yoweri Museveni. Scheduled for 2:00 PM, the meeting will focus on endorsing the party’s official flagbearers for Speaker and Deputy Speaker ahead of the 12th Parliament’s swearing-in and elections.
The critical caucus follows the Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) decision to vet and endorse candidates. State House and media sources have indicated that the Central Executive Committee endorsed Hon. Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth for the Speakership and Hon. Thomas Tayebwa to continue in the Deputy Speaker role. This high-stakes meeting comes after former Speaker Anita Among withdrew from the race amid political pressure and scrutiny.
As head of the Legislative arm Speaker of Parliament wields significant political authority and is third in the hierarchy behind only the President and the Vice President.
The Speaker of the 11th Parliament, Anita Among, is no longer the Speaker of the House following the conclusion of the 2026 general elections
Because of ongoing controversies and the ruling NRM party’s decision to shift leadership, she officially withdrew her bid for the Speakership of the newly sworn-in 12th Parliament
