The opposition Democratic Party (DP) president, also Laroo-Pece Member of Parliament-elect, Norbert Mao, has written to the chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), president Yoweri Museveni seeking support for his bid for the Speakership of the 12th Parliament.
Mao, also the Minister for Justice an Constitutional Affairs on Tuesday February 24, 2026, officially announced his bid to contest for the top seat in Parliament, a decision he said was taken following consultations with key stakeholders and fellow party leaders.
Mao told the media at the party’s headquarters in Mengo, Kampala that since DP and NRM have a running cooperation agreement, the president should consider the general principals of the agreement and rally his party members to support him.
Mao also revealed plans to write to all MPs this week to officially inform them about his bid to stop the ongoing speculation, urging his supporters not to rush into campaigning for him because its against parliamentary rules of procedure.
“I hereby announce my candidacy for Speaker of the 12th Parliament. This is an announcement; it’s not a campaign. I believe in rules. Under the rules of procedure of Parliament, we are not supposed to campaign. There are members of Parliament who are supposed to be sworn in in the 12th Parliament who contacted me and wanted to record videos endorsing my candidacy. But I told them that that’s not allowed by the rules”, Mao said.
Another aspirant to have declared the bid for Parliament Speakership on Tuesday is Aringa South Member of Parliament Alison Yorke Odria, bringing the number of those seeking to unseat current Speaker Anita Among to five.
Odria told reporters that his candidature is aimed at restoring parliament’s lost glory, by wiping out corruption, promoting media freedom and establishing an independent Fund to help fellow MPs develop their Constituencies.
He also slammed the NRM Central Executive Committee over its alleged recent endorsement of Speaker Among and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa for the two positions, wondering why the seats would be ring-fenced for specific people.
“There must be transparent governance, corruption-free. You are aware that in the 11th Parliament we had a battle to fight corruption in that the institution of Parliament. Me and my other colleagues, we had a motion to impeach corrupt commissioners. I thank God, but I promise fight corruption in that institution of government, the Parliament”, he told journalists in Kampala
The other aspirants are incumbent Anita Among, State minister for Housing Persis Namuganza (Bukono County) and NRM’s stalwart Lydia Wanyoto, the Mbale City Woman Member of Parliament-elect
 president, also Laroo-Pece Member of Parliament-elect, Norbert Mao, has written to the chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), president Yoweri Museveni seeking support for his bid for the Speakership of the 12th Parliament.){kind=link}