A total of 555 Members of Parliament-elect will next week be sworn in at Parliament House as Uganda officially ushers in the 12th Parliament following the 2026 General Elections.
The swearing-in exercise will take place on May 13, 14 and 15, 2026, in line with constitutional and parliamentary requirements that compel all elected legislators to take the oath of allegiance and oath of office before assuming their duties.
The 12th Parliament will comprise 353 directly elected constituency Members of Parliament, 146 District Woman Representatives and 30 representatives from special interest groups including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), youth, workers and persons with disabilities, bringing the total number of legislators to 555.
Preliminary parliamentary composition shows that the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) maintains overwhelming dominance in the House with more than 370 MPs, an increase from the 334 legislators the party held in the 11th Parliament.
The opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), which emerged as the leading opposition party in the previous Parliament, is projected to have between 43 and 57 legislators according to early election results from different districts across the country.
Independent candidates are expected to account for about 45 seats, while other political parties including the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), Democratic Party (DP), Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Justice Forum (JEEMA) and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) will also have representation in the House.
The UPDF parliamentary representatives were elected earlier this year on January 28, 2026, with senior military officers including Sam Okiding and Sylvia Meeme among the elected representatives.
The swearing-in exercise is a constitutional requirement under Article 81(4) of the Constitution, which states that every person elected to Parliament shall take and subscribe to the oath of allegiance and oath of a Member of Parliament as prescribed in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution.
Article 81(5) further bars any elected member from sitting or voting in Parliament before taking the oath.
The Rules of Procedure of Parliament also reinforce the constitutional provisions.
Rule 3(1) states that every member shall, before formally taking his or her seat in Parliament, take and subscribe, in the manner prescribed by law, to the oath of allegiance and oath of a Member of Parliament.
Rule 3(2) prohibits legislators from participating in parliamentary proceedings before taking the oath, while Rule 3(3) mandates the Clerk to Parliament to administer the oaths prior to the first sitting of Parliament.
The commencement of the new Parliament will pave the way for the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, a process that traditionally shapes the balance of power and direction of legislative business in the House.
The strong numerical advantage enjoyed by the NRM is likely to give the ruling party significant leverage in passing legislation, approving budgets and controlling parliamentary committees during the next five-year term.
However, opposition legislators are expected to continue pushing the government on issues of accountability, corruption, governance, human rights and public service delivery.
Uganda’s Parliament remains one of the key arms of government with powers to make laws, approve national budgets, scrutinize public expenditure and provide oversight over the Executive.
