KAMPALA, Uganda — Norbert Mao has secured 15 votes in the election for Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament held at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, in a contest won by Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth amid a decisive majority for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Oboth-Oboth, the NRM-backed candidate, won the Speakership with a comfortable margin, reflecting the ruling party’s numerical dominance in the newly constituted Parliament. National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Paul Mwiru also participated in the race but trailed in the final tally.
A total of 519 Members of Parliament took part in the vote, with no abstentions recorded and three ballots declared invalid during counting.
Mao’s 15-vote outcome highlights the entrenched parliamentary arithmetic that continues to shape Uganda’s leadership contests, where opposition candidates face structural constraints against the NRM’s overwhelming majority.
Following the announcement of results, Mao took to social media to reflect on his bid, describing the contest as a moral rather than numerical struggle.
He wrote that despite what he termed the “tyranny of numbers,” his campaign was driven by principle rather than expectation of victory, adding that he had faced pressure from various quarters to withdraw before the vote.
Mao further said he was warned he might secure fewer than ten votes due to strict partisan voting, a prediction he said he defied by surpassing that threshold.
“I put my seat on the line by telling him that if I got less than ten votes I would resign from Parliament,” Mao wrote, noting that the experience demonstrated the depth of political division but also the value of participation.
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He added that despite the outcome, the contest had been worthwhile, saying it had helped bring what he described as “a gush of fresh air” into Parliament and renewed public attention on the role of the legislature.
The Speaker of Parliament is a constitutionally powerful office responsible for presiding over sittings, maintaining order in the House, and steering legislative business, making it central to Uganda’s governance structure.
Following the Speakership election, Parliament is expected to proceed with the election of the Deputy Speaker and the formation of committees that will shape the legislative agenda of the 12th Parliament.
