By mid-morning on 23 May 2026, the NRM Secretariat in Kampala looked like a campaign launch. Hon. Nyamutoro, Hon. Migadde, Hon. Acora Nancy, PLU Secretary General Kabanda and a handful of other MPs were on hand to escort Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa and Jacob Oboth-Oboth as they submitted expressions of interest for the top two jobs in the 12th Parliament.
It wasn’t just a formality. It was the public step after a private decision made the day before.
At a closed-door CEC meeting at State House Entebbe on Friday, the NRM’s Central Executive Committee agreed to back Oboth-Oboth for Speaker and Tayebwa for Deputy Speaker. President Yoweri Museveni, as NRM National Chairman, chaired the meeting. The endorsement now sets up Sunday’s NRM Parliamentary Caucus meeting, where MPs are expected to be rallied behind the pair ahead of the election of parliamentary leaders for the 12th Parliament.
For anyone watching Parliament, this is a reset.
Why This Matters Now
The leadership race was thrown open earlier this week when Anita Among withdrew from the Speakership contest amid political pressure and ongoing corruption investigations. Her exit left a vacuum at the top and accelerated lobbying inside the NRM.
Oboth-Oboth enters as the outgoing Minister for Defence and Veteran Affairs. He’s a lawyer by training, a longtime NRM MP from West Budama South, and someone who has moved comfortably between the executive and legislative arms. Tayebwa has been Deputy Speaker since 2022, stepping into the role after Jacob Oulanyah’s death. He’s younger, more media-savvy, and has spent the last three years learning the mechanics of running the House.
The pairing matters because it balances experience and continuity. Oboth-Oboth brings seniority and a security background at a time when Parliament will be dealing with defence budgets, veteran affairs, and regional security debates. Tayebwa brings institutional memory of the Deputy Speaker’s chair and a relationship with the current MP cohort.
The PLU Factor
This endorsement didn’t happen in a vacuum. Before CEC met, Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa had already secured backing from the Patriotic League of Uganda under Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s chairmanship. That matters because PLU has been one of the most active political mobilization vehicles inside the NRM over the last two years.
When PLU signals a position, it tells you where a segment of the NRM’s younger, military-aligned wing is leaning. CEC’s decision to align with that position suggests an effort to avoid a split vote and to present a unified front going into the caucus meeting.
What It Means for the Caucus Meeting
Sunday’s caucus is where the real test comes. NRM holds the majority in the 12th Parliament, so whoever the caucus rallies behind usually wins the floor vote. But “usually” isn’t “always.”
Several other NRM legislators had expressed interest in the Deputy Speaker slot, including Mary Kamuli Kuteesa, Edward Makmot Otto, Marshall Alenyo, and Adrine Katusiime Mwebesa. With CEC’s endorsement, those ambitions are now up against party discipline. Some will step aside. Others may test the waters anyway, calculating that secret ballots can create surprises.
For Oboth-Oboth, the challenge is different. He’s less known to the broader public than Tayebwa, and he’s moving from a ministerial role into a parliamentary one. He’ll need to convince MPs that he can manage a House that’s become more assertive, more media-exposed, and more fragmented than it was in the 10th Parliament.
The Ordinary Ugandan Angle
If you’re in Mbale or Kitgum, this looks like elite politics. It is. But it also affects you. The Speaker controls the agenda. The Deputy Speaker runs the day-to-day proceedings. Those two determine whether your MP gets time to raise the road in your sub-county, whether opposition motions get heard, and how quickly bills on land, education, and health move.
A Speaker who understands the executive can smooth the relationship between Parliament and State House. That can speed up budgets and policy. It can also reduce scrutiny. A Speaker who comes from the backbench understands the frustration of MPs who feel ignored. That can open space for debate, but it can also slow government business.
Oboth-Oboth’s background suggests he’ll lean toward smoothing. Tayebwa’s three years in the chair suggest he knows how to keep order when things get heated. Together, they’re likely to aim for a Parliament that’s functional but not rebellious.
The Elite Calculation
Inside the NRM, this is about managing succession dynamics without creating open fractures. CEC’s endorsement signals that the party wants to avoid a repeat of the 2021 Speaker race, where divisions spilled into public view and weakened party cohesion.
Putting Oboth-Oboth in the Speaker’s chair also pulls a senior minister out of Cabinet at a time when Museveni is reshaping his team for the next five years. It rewards loyalty, but it also removes a potential center of gravity inside the executive.
For Tayebwa, staying as Deputy Speaker gives him continuity and keeps him in line for the next step. He’s built a national profile, and the Deputy Speaker role keeps him there without forcing him into the full glare that comes with the Speaker’s office.
What to Watch on Sunday
Three things will tell you how solid this endorsement is:
Caucus attendance and mood. If MPs show up in numbers and endorse the pair without public dissent, the floor vote on Tuesday will be a formality. If there are walkouts or sharp interventions, expect a contested vote.
The opposition’s play. The opposition doesn’t have the numbers, but it can shape the narrative. Watch whether they field a candidate or use the election to frame the new leadership as an extension of the executive.
The first 100 days agenda. What Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa say about parliamentary independence, oversight, and the relationship with the executive will set expectations. Kampala listens to speeches. The country watches actions.
The Bigger Picture
Parliament in the 12th term will inherit a heavy workload: the AFCON 2027 budget, constitutional questions ahead of 2031, and pressure to deliver on service delivery promises. The leadership pair chosen now will set the tone for how much of that happens in the chamber and how much gets decided elsewhere.
NRM has chosen stability and continuity. Whether that produces a Parliament that feels relevant to the market vendor in Owino and the investor in Kololo will depend on what Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa do once the cameras leave the NRM Secretariat.
For now, the pairing is clear. The test starts Sunday.
