Norbert Mao, one of the aspirants for the position of speaker of the 12th parliament, has backed the Patriotic League of Uganda’s (PLU) decision to withdraw support for former speaker Anita Among and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa.
Describing the move as a “principled stand against corruption,” Mao said public confidence in parliament has significantly declined.
Mao was speaking to journalists shortly after taking oath as member of parliament for Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu city on Thursday.
“You cannot say you are fighting malaria and then you are a friend to mosquitoes,” Mao said.
He added that PLU had remained consistent in its public position on corruption.
“PLU has been very consistent. I am happy that the PLU has taken a stand against corruption, and fighting corruption means you fight the corrupt,” Mao told journalists.
Mao, Among and Tayebwa are all understood to have been seeking the backing of First Son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba in the race for the top parliamentary leadership positions.
Mao’s remarks add fresh momentum to an increasingly contentious contest for parliament’s leadership, where alliances, succession calculations and divisions within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) are becoming more visible ahead of the election of the speaker and deputy speaker later this month.
PLU, a political pressure group closely associated with Muhoozi, had initially endorsed Among and Tayebwa for second terms in parliament’s top offices.
However, the group this week reversed its position and directed its members to support candidates aligned with guidance from President Yoweri Museveni and the NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC).
The matter gained further attention after Muhoozi posted a series of messages on social media questioning how some Ugandan politicians acquire luxury vehicles.
Although he did not directly mention the speaker, the timing and context of the posts led many Ugandans to interpret them as indirect criticism of Among.
In several posts, Muhoozi condemned corruption and argued that Uganda did not need leaders associated with unexplained wealth and extravagance.
Sources within political circles indicate that Mao’s bid for the speaker’s office could form part of broader political calculations reportedly supported by influential members of the First Family, including Gen Salim Saleh and Muhoozi.
Like Among, Mao has previously visited Saleh at his well-known “tactical base” in Gulu.
Among was also seen earlier this week holding a private conversation with Muhoozi at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds ahead of President Museveni’s swearing-in for a seventh term in office.
During Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony, Mao sought to portray himself as a reform-minded leader advocating stronger institutional accountability and internal parliamentary reforms.
“We are the watchdogs, and we will encourage the people also to watch us because the watchdog cannot stay without being watched,” Mao said.
“Citizens now think that parliament does whatever it wants. Nobody can even say anything, but we are all under the same law.”
Using an analogy involving Ugandan currency notes, Mao argued that all citizens deserve equal treatment regardless of their status or political influence.
“If you have a Shs 10,000 note which is brand new from the bank, and another one which is dirty, torn and probably fastened by glue, the new one cannot buy more things than the old dirty and torn one,” Mao said.
“We should treat all Ugandans equally.”
The remarks appeared carefully aimed at resonating with ordinary Ugandans increasingly frustrated by widening inequality and perceptions that political elites operate above the law.
Mao further pledged that if elected speaker, he would establish what he described as a “caucus of the whole House,” a non-partisan platform bringing together MPs across political divides to address national issues and internal parliamentary concerns.
“There are some problems which have no party lines,” Mao said.
“It is the role of parliament to solve problems. It doesn’t matter who brings the best solution. If it serves Uganda best, that is what we should pay attention to.”
Article 82 of the 1995 Constitution provides that the speaker and deputy speaker are elected by MPs from among persons qualified to be members of parliament, although Cabinet ministers are barred from simultaneously holding the office of speaker.
As Uganda’s 12th parliament prepares for its first substantive sitting, the battle for parliamentary leadership is increasingly being viewed as more than a contest of personalities, reflecting wider struggles over power, influence and political succession within the ruling establishment.
