State Minister for Lands and Bukono County MP Persis Namuganza has reaffirmed her determination to contest for Speaker of the 12th Parliament, declaring that she will not withdraw from the race and positioning her candidacy as a mission to restore the dignity and effectiveness of Uganda’s legislature.
Speaking in a televised interview broadcast by the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation (UBC) on Thursday evening, Namuganza appealed directly to citizens to engage their representatives as the leadership contest intensifies.
“For me, I’m still in the race. I am not going to back off. I want to appeal to all Ugandans, talk to your Members of Parliament,” she said.
“Revive the August House”
Namuganza argued that Parliament has suffered a decline in stature during the 11th Parliament and requires leadership grounded in transparency, accountability, and institutional respect.
“Mine is transparency, mine is accountability, mine is integrity. We need that House to be revived, to regain its lost glory,” she said.
She contended that many legislators feel constrained and undervalued, suggesting that decorum and procedural rigor have eroded over time.
“The decorum of Parliament faded away a long time ago, and that’s why people no longer follow this 11th Parliament,” she said, adding that the institution must regain both national and international respect.
Positioning herself as a defender of MPs’ rights, Namuganza promised a chamber where lawmakers can speak freely and exercise oversight without intimidation.
A Crowded Field
Namuganza’s renewed push comes amid an increasingly competitive race for Speaker of the 12th Parliament. Incumbent Speaker Anita Among is seeking re-election and has already secured endorsement from the Central Executive Committee of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Other declared contenders include Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister Norbert Mao and Mbale City Woman MP Lydia Wanyoto, each advancing distinct narratives around parliamentary independence, coalition politics, and institutional reform.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), chaired by Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has urged its affiliated MPs-elect to support the NRM-endorsed ticket of Among for Speaker and Thomas Tayebwa for Deputy Speaker — a move seen as consolidating establishment backing.
Defining Test for the 12th Parliament
As Uganda prepares for the inauguration of the new House, analysts say the Speakership contest has become a referendum on the direction of Parliament itself, whether it will prioritize continuity and alignment with the Executive or embrace calls for stronger institutional independence.
For Namuganza, the stakes are clear. She portrays the election not simply as a leadership vote but as a choice about the character of the legislature.
“We are in a dilemma. It’s unfortunate that the picture of Parliament — the August House — has faded away,” she said.
With multiple candidates mobilising support across party lines and within the NRM’s dominant caucus, the race for Speaker is shaping into one of the most closely watched political contests ahead of the 12th Parliament’s first sitting.
