The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Norbert Mao has asked Parliament to defer the induction and orientation of Members of the 12th Parliament until after the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. He argued that the current arrangement risks undermining both procedure and focus.
In a letter dated April 27, 2026, addressed to the Clerk to Parliament, Mao states that while induction is an essential process for equipping legislators with knowledge on lawmaking, ethics, and parliamentary procedure, its timing is critical to achieving its intended purpose.
“According to the program your office has released, the induction of members of the 12th Parliament will take place soon after the swearing in of the members but before the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. This is an important program that will orient the members… I fully support the idea of the induction because it will improve the quality of work and effectiveness among both the returning and new members,” Mao wrote.
However, the minister cautions that holding the induction before Parliament elects its leadership could distract legislators from what he describes as a fundamental constitutional task.
“I’m therefore of the opinion that to ensure that nothing interferes with the noble objectives of the induction, it should take place AFTER the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. More importantly the 12th Parliament will only be considered fully constituted after the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have been elected,”he emphasized.
Mao further underscores that a significant proportion of incoming legislators are new, noting that nearly two thirds will require focused orientation free from political distractions. He likens the current plan to “taking a sports team to a training camp before determining who will captain the team,” warning that such sequencing could dilute the effectiveness of the exercise.
The letter also raises concerns about the neutrality of the planned induction process, with Mao pointing to the role of the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Anita Among.
“The situation wasn’t helped by the unwarranted outburst from the outgoing Speaker when she attacked me for aspiring to lead the 12th Parliament yet I’m not a member of the NRM,” Mao wrote, referencing tensions emerging within the ongoing speakership contest.
He further alleges potential bias in the selection of facilitators for the orientation sessions.
“I have seen the list of speakers during the orientation and I’m concerned that the outgoing Speaker has deliberately lined up her loyalists, especially from the political class, to be the main presenters. Given their bias… they’re likely to spend more time promoting the candidature of the outgoing Speaker rather than imparting useful knowledge,”he stated.
Drawing from his experience at the recent NRM retreat in Kyankwanzi, Mao said discussions around the speakership had already shown signs of overshadowing substantive engagement.
“I noticed how the issue of who will be the Speaker of Parliament distracted members to the extent of almost overshadowing the important knowledge being shared,” he wrote.
As a remedy, the minister proposes that Parliament entrust the induction process to a more neutral and institutional framework, including reviving the idea of an independent parliamentary training body.
“This bias can only be cured by entrusting an impartial body to be in charge of the capacity building of Parliamentarians,” Mao noted, suggesting the reintroduction of a structured Institute of Parliamentary Studies.
The intervention comes at a politically sensitive moment as the race for Speaker of the 12th Parliament gathers momentum, with Hon. Mao himself among those who have expressed interest in the position. His proposal is likely to intensify debate within parliamentary and political circles over the sequencing of key transition activities and the need to safeguard institutional integrity.
“I have written this letter in good faith to ensure that the orientation… achieves its objectives and that the politics around the election of the Speaker does not distract the members,” he concluded.
Parliament is yet to formally respond to the request.
