What kind of speaker does the 12th Uganda parliament need?
2026-03-04 - 08:28
Speaker Anita Among with her deputy Thomas Tayebwa As Uganda’s newly elected members of parliament prepare to take their oaths in May 2026, the race for speaker of the 12th parliament has rightly captured national attention. The choice before MPs is not merely about who will preside over plenary sittings or enforce rules of debate. It is about who will guide the House through one of the most consequential phases in Uganda’s development journey. On January 15, 2026, Ugandans renewed President Museveni’s mandate and returned the National Resistance Movement (NRM) with a comfortable parliamentary majority. That mandate rests squarely on the NRM’s 2026–2031 manifesto, “Protecting the Gains as We Make a Qualitative Leap into High Middle- Income Status,” and on Uganda’s Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV, 2025/26–2029/30). The responsibility of the 12th parliament is to convert these commitments from policy documents into measurable improvements in the lives of citizens across every constituency. The manifesto and NDP IV are not abstract aspirations. They present a coherent strategy anchored in five mutually reinforcing priorities: expanding wealth creation through commercial agriculture, manufacturing and value addition; investing in modern infrastructure such as roads, railways, energy and housing; strengthening human capital through quality education, healthcare and skills development; deepening democracy, governance and security; and accelerating regional integration. NDP IV’s theme; “Sustainable Industrialisation for Inclusive Growth, Employment and Wealth Creation” perfectly aligns with this agenda. Parliament will be central to making it real. The Constitution assigns parliament clear and weighty responsibilities. It approves the national budget, authorises borrowing, enacts laws, and exercises oversight over the Executive. Consider the scale of work ahead. The Parish Development Model (PDM) must be strengthened and better linked to agro-processing industries so that the Shs 100 million allocated per parish translates into sustainable household incomes. Industrial parks require capitalisation, supported by institutions such as the Uganda Development Corporation and the Uganda Development Bank, to expand manufacturing and exports. Electricity tariffs for manufacturers must continue trending toward competitive levels to spur investment. Strategic projects, including the oil refinery, petrochemical industries, and export pipelines—will require enabling legislation and vigilant oversight. Major infrastructure programmes, from railway expansion to urban housing and digital connectivity, depend on timely budget approvals and supportive legal frameworks. Meanwhile, youth skills hubs and technical training initiatives must be adequately funded and monitored to ensure that Uganda’s demographic dividend is harnessed productively. What qualities, then, should guide MPs in selecting the speaker of the 12th parliament? First, impartiality in the Chair is non-negotiable. The speaker must command trust across the political divide while enforcing rules firmly and fairly. Second, procedural mastery and administrative competence are vital in managing a large and complex legislature. Third, and most importantly, the speaker must appreciate the historic moment Uganda faces. The nation has moved from post-conflict recovery to sustained growth. The next leap, achieving high middle- income status, requires disciplined, forward-looking legislative leadership. The contest for speaker should therefore be evaluated against national interest, not personal ambition or narrow factional considerations. Ugandans expect a parliament that works, one that passes budgets on time, enacts enabling laws efficiently, and holds government accountable without derailing development. The speaker who best understands this dual mandate, facilitating implementation while safeguarding transparency and accountability, will help shape the legacy of the 12th parliament. This parliament has the opportunity to be remembered as the House that consolidated Uganda’s industrial transformation. With the right leadership in the chair, it can turn policy promises into factories, roads, jobs, schools and hospitals. The choice of speaker will help determine whether that opportunity is seized. The author is a veteran journalist and the Deputy RDC for Kassanda district.