President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, chairperson of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), yesterday reopened debate on the leadership of the 12th Parliament and called on newly elected lawmakers to focus on delivering prosperity and national transformation as they prepare for their term.
Addressing hundreds of NRM Members of Parliament and allied independents on the second day of a week‑long retreat at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyankwanzi, Museveni signalled that the party’s earlier endorsement of the incumbent Speaker, Anita Annet Among, and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa is not definitive.
“CEC had recommended that we maintain the two because it had become a tradition,” Museveni said, making clear that the Central Executive Committee’s (CEC) position will be subject to further discussion within broader party structures before a final decision is taken.
His comments effectively reopened the field for aspirants who had felt sidelined by the earlier recommendation.
The President’s remarks resonated amid growing calls from within the party for fairness and internal democracy in selecting parliamentary leadership.
Several lawmakers, including Norbert Mao, Yorke Alioni Odria, Mbale City Woman MP‑elect Lydia Wanyoto, Masindi Woman MP Dr. Florence Akiiki, and Persis Namuganza, have publicly indicated interest in the speakership, highlighting an increasingly competitive landscape within the ruling party.
Museveni emphasised that the decision on Speaker and Deputy Speaker will ultimately rest with the NRM parliamentary caucus, not just the CEC.
He urged MPs to engage in respectful debate and resist efforts to pre‑empt or “ring‑fence” leadership positions, a reference to criticisms from some party members who argue that automatic endorsements stifle internal democracy.
The President also instructed legislators to uphold party principles and warned against corruption, stating unequivocally that he would not tolerate graft within government ranks — a message that underscored the party’s broader disciplinary expectations.
Beyond the speakership issue, Museveni laid out what he termed the core responsibilities of the 12th Parliament as it prepares to convene following the general elections. He called on MPs to focus on “curing societal problems” by promoting prosperity, deepening security, and reinforcing ideological clarity rooted in the NRM’s founding principles.
“Prosperity is achieved not through begging or corruption, but through work — by producing goods and services that create wealth,” Museveni said, urging lawmakers to embrace a development‑oriented mindset.
He emphasised that Uganda must remain focused on economic transformation, energy access, water provision, and improved living standards for all citizens.
The President also called on legislators to adopt broader ideological tenets, including patriotism, pan‑Africanism, and unity, as essential tools for addressing both national and continental challenges.
Analysts say Museveni’s intervention injects fresh momentum into a speakership contest that had appeared largely settled following the CEC’s endorsement.
By inviting broader discussion within the caucus, the President has created space for intra‑party competition and is likely to shape alliance-building ahead of Parliament’s formal swearing‑in next month.
The Kyankwanzi retreat — historically a venue where key party decisions are shaped — is expected to continue generating influential resolutions that will guide both NRM legislators and the national agenda in the coming term.
