KAMPALA .The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has dismissed reports that a final decision has already been taken on who to become the next Speaker and Deputy Speaker of Parliament.
According to Mr Tanga Odoi , the NRM Electoral Commission Chairperson says the matter remains firmly within the party’s established structures, stressing that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) will sit later this week to determine the official position on the leadership of the 12th Parliament.
He dismissed reports suggesting that preferred candidates have already been settled upon, noting that the party is still within the consultative phase.
“If CEC guides that we should have new applicants or whatever they guide, there will be expression of interest and the commission will summarize their CVs and send to CEC,” Odoi said.
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker positions have attracted renewed attention following signals interpreted from outgoing Speaker Anita Among, who recently indicated a possible exit from the race. According to Odoi, this development has reopened internal consultations, particularly since the party had previously leaned towards continuity in leadership.
“Because CEC had already given its opinion that the two should continue, but now the current Speaker has stepped out, the Deputy has not written to us, so we don’t know the status of the Deputy,” he noted, adding that formal communication has since directed the party to organise elections for both positions.
The race has, however, been complicated by early political endorsements outside formal NRM structures. The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), led by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has publicly expressed support for Mbarara West MP Jacob Oboth-Oboth for Speaker, while also backing Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa to retain his position.
The endorsements have sparked debate within political circles, though Dr. Odoi downplayed any suggestion of institutional conflict or parallel authority influencing the process.
“Nobody endorses the Speaker or Deputy. The process must be up to CEC and up to the caucus. You can have your candidate, but CEC may say otherwise or caucus,” he said.
He further rejected claims of tension between PLU and the ruling party, describing PLU as a pressure group operating within the NRM’s broader political ecosystem.
“PLU is a pressure group within the NRM. The members of PLU are NRM. People want to alarm by saying PLU has taken over government. No, PLU cannot take over government. The government is under NRM,” Odoi stated.
With the CEC meeting expected to be decisive, attention now turns to whether the party’s final endorsement will align with the publicly supported candidates or chart a different course, potentially reshaping the leadership landscape of the 12th Parliament.