The Democratic Party President General and Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao, has revealed that the death of former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah led Uganda into an “accidental Speaker of Parliament.”
Mao is the MP-elect for Laroo Pece Division, Gulu City.
Mao made the remarks shortly after announcing his intention to contest for Speaker of Parliament seat at the DP headquarters in Kampala, casting the coming race as a defining moment for Parliament.
“Unfortunately, we lost the late Jacob Oulanyah. So we got an accidental Speaker. Yes, because nobody plans for death. It was not supposed to be that way, but now there’s an opportunity,” Mao said.
The bully Nobert Mao must be directly sending this description to the current Speaker, Anita Among who was recently seen with President Museveni at Kisozi farm seeking for an endorsement from the “old man with the hat” but the efforts went futile.
He said his decision followed what he termed an outpouring of goodwill from across the country urging him to step forward.
“The prospect of Norbert Mao becoming Speaker of Parliament has energized the whole country, and the whole country believes that we are getting a safety net in these five years that are critical, of having a hand that can be trusted, with a record of working with all sorts of people,” he said.
Mao invoked his personal friendship with Oulanyah and suggested he would not forgive himself if he stayed out of the race.
“At a very personal level, I wonder what my friend Jacob Oulanyah would tell me if I met him on the other side of life, and he says, ‘Mao, I left you behind. You have seen what is happening, and you did nothing?’” he said, drawing laughter from supporters.
Oulanyah, who served as Speaker of the 11th Parliament, died in March 2022 while receiving treatment in the United States. The government announced that he succumbed to illness. However, his father publicly claimed that the former Speaker had told him he was poisoned, remarks that stirred debate at the time. Mao has previously referenced those claims while reflecting on the circumstances surrounding his friend’s death.
Mao’s declaration sets up a direct contest with the incumbent Speaker, Anita Among, whose leadership has faced criticism from sections of the political class. During the last term, tension rose in Parliament after President Yoweri Museveni accused Members of Parliament of corruption, a matter that triggered heated exchanges when attempts were made to debate the issue on the floor.
The Aringa South MP, Alion Yorke Odria has also declared that he will contest, dismissing claims that the party’s Central Executive Committee cleared Among and her deputy to run unopposed.
Addressing journalists in Kampala, Odria said reports of ringfencing candidates were unfounded.
“We as members of parliament, especially from the NRM party, we must know that our party may have its constitution, but there is rumour moving around that some candidates yet to be nominated have been endorsed by the NRM party. They have been ringfenced by the CEC. That is a big rumour,” Odria said.
“I must tell Ugandans, I must tell Africa and the world that the law is not going to be taken and be played with by a few individuals in the NRM party. I raise this as the constitution as one of the tools, the biggest tool that I’m going to use to execute my duties.”
He called on President Museveni who chairs the NRM to pronounce himself clearly on the matter.
“Any decision taken without our consent shall be null and void. Therefore, we are sending a message to the chairman, the President, His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, to come out clearly and confirm what is meant by endorsing, ringfencing some few candidates and leaving out others who are the pillars of this party. We are the pillars,” Odria said.
Other contenders in the Speaker’s seat include State Minister Persis Namuganza and incoming Mbale City Woman representative, Lydia Wanyoto.
