KAMPALA. The top leadership of opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), has fronted Mr Paul Mwiru as its flag bearer for Speaker of the 12th Parliament,.
This positions Mwiru as a reform-minded leader committed to fighting corruption, promoting fairness and protecting the dignity of Parliament.
Mr Mwiru, 49 the NUP Jinja South East legislator, was unveiled on Wednesday after a NUP caucus meeting attended by nearly all NUP Members of Parliament, where party legislators unanimously agreed to endorse him for the influential parliamentary position.
It was a heavily chanted moment at the NUP headquarters as acting party president Dr Lina Zedriga, pre-Opposition Chief Whip Mr John Baptist Nambeshe, the pre-Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LOP) Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, and other NUP legislators handed over the party flag to Mr Mwiru to contest for the top parliamentary seat.
Speaking shortly after being unveiled, lawyer Mr Mwiru said the office of the Speaker should belong to all Ugandans and not serve sectional or partisan interests.
“The Speaker’s office is a matter that involves all Ugandans because it is central in providing oversight, appropriation and representation of the people,” Mr Mwiru said.
He pledged to champion accountability and restore public trust in Parliament through impartial leadership, emphasising that Parliament must remain a national institution that serves every Ugandan equally without discrimination based on tribe, region, religion or political affiliation.
“We need a speaker who will firmly fight corruption, protect the values and dignity of Parliament without discrimination and ensure effective sharing of national resources,” he said.
He announced that on Friday, he will officially launch his Speaker bid at Parliament in a mega function expected to attract opposition dignitaries and supporters, where he will outline his full vision for Parliament.
Speaking after unveiling the candidate, NUP Secretary General Mr David Lewis Rubongoya said the party settled on Mr Mwiru after internal consultations and consensus among its MPs, particularly because of his strong stance against corruption.
On the position of deputy speaker, Mr Rubongoya revealed that beginning Wednesday, NUP would engage other opposition political parties to determine whether they have candidates the party could support. He added that if no opposition party fronts a candidate, NUP will unveil its own.
NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya delivers remarks after the unveiling of Paul Mwiru as the party’s candidate for Speaker in Kampala on May 1, 2026.
Mr Rubongoya also criticised the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also the son of President Museveni, for engaging in partisan politics despite being a serving military officer.
“On different occasions, we have seen Gen Muhoozi making political pronouncements, announcing Jacob Oboth Oboth as the next Speaker despite being a serving military officer who is supposed to be non-partisan. This impunity must stop,” Mr Rubongoya said.
“The person they endorsed [Oboth] has no clean hands; he has also been involved in many corruption scandals like the iron sheets saga. He was among the team that passed the age limit bill, among others. We need a speaker with clean hands,” he added.
Who is Mwiru?
Mr Mwiru is a lawyer and seasoned politician who previously represented Jinja East Constituency in Parliament under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) before joining NUP.
He is known for his outspoken stance against corruption and governance failures, having built his political profile through legal activism and parliamentary debates on accountability and human rights.
Mr Mwiru joins an increasingly competitive Speaker race that includes other National Resistance Movement (NRM)-leaning contenders such as Mr Jacob Oboth-Oboth, Ms Persis Namuganza, Ms Lydia Wanyoto, and Ms Florence Asiimwe Akiki, among others. Democratic Party (DP) president Mr Norbert Mao has also previously expressed interest in the position.
A tight race
According to the arrangements, the Speaker elections are scheduled for May 25, 2026, when newly sworn-in legislators will elect both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker in what is expected to be a heated contest.
Over the years, the Speaker race has largely been determined by the ruling NRM party, which commands the majority in Parliament with at least 372 MPs. The House also includes 68 independents, 48 NUP legislators, 12 Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) MPs, 10 UPDF representatives, nine Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) MPs, six DP legislators, two People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) representatives, and one Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) MP.
On Saturday, Patriotic League of Uganda Secretary General Mr David Kabanda announced that President Museveni, who is also NRM national chairman, and First Son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba had endorsed Mr Oboth-Oboth for Speaker of the 12th Parliament, although the NRM caucus is yet to formally sit and decide on its flag bearer.