The mace is back on the table. The Speaker’s chair has a new name: Oboth Oboth. Next to him sits Thomas Tayebwa as Deputy. The 12th Parliament of Uganda is here.
Speeches have been made. Prayers said. Promises given. Now comes the part Ugandans actually care about: work.
Forget the politics for one minute. An ordinary boda rider in Gulu, a teacher in Bushenyi, a market vendor in Owino, and a CEO in Kololo all want the same thing from this House: results. Not noise. Results.
Here’s what Uganda expects, straight and precise.
-Stop the bleeding. Account for our money.
Ugandans are tired of budgets that disappear. Every year we hear “billions allocated” for roads, drugs, seeds, dams. Every year we see half-done roads, empty health centers, and auditors crying over missing funds.
Under Oboth Oboth and Tayebwa, this Parliament must become allergic to waste.
What that means:
Public Accounts Committee should not be a retirement home. It must bite. Summon ministers, follow money, publish reports Ugandans can read without a law degree.
Stop budget allocations that only make sense on paper. If a district gets 2 billion for roads but the road is still mud after 2 years, someone must answer.
Live within our means. Ugandans watched the last Parliament fight over car grants while hospitals had no gloves. The 12th Parliament must choose: new cars for MPs or new beds for patients. You cannot do both and claim to represent “wananchi”.
The ordinary Ugandan pays tax on every liter of fuel, every kilo of sugar, every phone charge. The elite Ugandan pays more. Both expect to see that money work. Oboth and Tayebwa must make accountability the brand of this Parliament.
Laws that solve real problems, not create new ones.
Parliament makes laws. But Ugandans judge laws by one question: “Does my life get easier?”
We expect laws on:
Cost of living: Taxes are choking people. Fuel, cooking oil, soap, school fees. Parliament must ask: which taxes actually grow the economy, and which ones just kill small businesses? If a tax makes a mother in Arua choose between salt and soap, it’s a bad tax.
Jobs: Uganda has 800,000 young people entering the job market every year. Parliament cannot keep debating “youth empowerment” without passing laws that force government, banks, and companies to actually hire and train locals. A law that says 70% of jobs on government projects must go to Ugandans with skills training attached. No more excuses.
Land: Land conflicts are tearing families apart. From Apaa to Kibaale to Kampala, people are being evicted with fake papers. Parliament must clean up land administration. One registry, digital records, harsh punishment for land grabbers – whether they wear suits or gumboots.
Health and Education: No Ugandan should die because a health center has no drugs while money was voted for drugs. No child should sit on the floor in a classroom of 120 pupils. Parliament must stop passing “aspirational” laws and start passing “enforceable” laws with penalties for neglect.
Tayebwa is known for pushing business and infrastructure. Oboth Oboth is a lawyer and minister. Both know law. Now Ugandans want law with impact, not law for files.
Respect for Ugandans, even when we disagree.
The last few years, Parliament looked like a boxing ring. Fights, suspensions, walkouts, insults. Cameras loved it. Ugandans hated it.
This 12th Parliament must restore dignity.
Dignity means: Opposition MPs are not enemies of Uganda. They are Ugandans too. Let them speak, even when it’s uncomfortable. Democracy dies when only one voice is allowed.
Dignity means: When wananchi demonstrate, police don’t beat first and ask later. Parliament must protect the right to protest. You can disagree with the crowd without calling them traitors.
Dignity means: MPs remember they are servants, not kings. The red number plate does not make you above the law. If you break traffic rules, pay the fine. If you steal, go to court. Oboth and Tayebwa must lead by example.
The elite Ugandan in Nakasero wants stability to run business. The ordinary Ugandan in Moroto wants respect from the local council. Both will only respect Parliament if Parliament respects them first.
Service delivery over drama
Ugandans don’t care about party colors when their child is sick. They care if the nurse is there and the drug is there.
This Parliament must track service delivery like a hawk.
Monthly reports from ministries, not yearly excuses.
MPs should spend recess in constituencies counting working boreholes, not just attending burials.
Committee chairs must be picked by competence, not loyalty. Put someone who understands agriculture to chair agriculture. Put a teacher to question the education ministry.
Tayebwa comes from a business background. He knows targets and deadlines. Oboth Oboth comes from government. He knows systems. Combine both and demand delivery.
If a ministry fails for 3 quarters, Parliament must act. Not just “express concern.” Cut budgets, reject ministers, tell the country the truth. Ugandans can handle truth. They cannot handle lies.
Protect the Constitution, protect the future
The 12th Parliament will be tested on one thing above all: the Constitution.
Ugandans expect this House to guard it, not bend it for convenience. That means no rushed amendments at midnight. That means debate, public views, lawyers, and time.
The Constitution is not for NRM. It’s not for NUP. It’s for the boy selling mandazi in Mbale and the lady running a firm in Kampala. When Parliament protects the Constitution, it protects both of them.
Oboth Oboth, as Speaker, will set the tone. If he allows debate, this Parliament will earn respect. If he shuts it down, this Parliament will be remembered for fear, not law.
The hard truth for Oboth and Tayebwa
Speaker and Deputy Speaker, you have power. But power in Uganda expires fast if people feel ignored.
Ugandans are not asking for miracles. They are asking for honesty.
Honesty in budgets.
Honesty in debates.
Honesty in how you treat the small man and the big man.
The 11th Parliament had achievements: infrastructure laws, oil laws. It also had wounds: money fights, corruption, missed oversight. The 12th must learn.
The ordinary Ugandan expects food prices to stop climbing like Kampala rent. The elite Ugandan expects a stable economy where business can grow without bribes. Both expectations land on your table, Hon. Oboth. Both expectations land on your desk, Hon. Tayebwa.
Bottom line
This Parliament is not for NRM, NUP, or independents. It is for Uganda.
If Oboth Oboth runs a House of accountability, he will be remembered.
If Thomas Tayebwa pushes laws that create jobs, he will be remembered.
If both of them choose Ugandans over politics, this 12th Parliament will be the best one yet.
If not, then it’s just 529 people in suits talking while Uganda waits.
The mace is on the table. The people are watching. Work.
