KAMPALA, UGANDA – The race for the Speakership of the 12th Parliament has intensified with the emergence of a formidable new candidate, following the official declaration by Mbale City Woman MP-elect, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto Mutende.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Hon. Wanyoto announced her intention at a press conference in Malukhu, Mbale Industrial City Division, framing her decision not as a personal ambition, but as a direct response to the mandate given to her by the voters.
Following this declaration, Wanyoto steps into an increasingly crowded and competitive field vying for the second-highest constitutional office in the country.
The incoming legislator joins a lineup that includes the incumbent Speaker, Anita Among; the outspoken State Minister for Lands, Persis Namuganza; and Democratic Party President Norbert Mao.
During a Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting at State House, Entebbe, on January 27, 2026, the ruling NRM party officially endorsed Anita Among for Speaker and her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, for re-election as Deputy Speaker.
However, the endorsement has not deterred other candidates from throwing their hats into the ring, signaling a potential internal contest within the ruling party’s parliamentary caucus.
Bukono County MP Persis Namuganza officially declared her bid earlier for the Speakership, becoming the first to challenge the party endorsement and setting the stage for a tough showdown with Anita Among.
Positioning herself as a unifier, Namuganza kicked off her Speakership bid with a pledge to transcend party colors and restore national pride, vowing to make the 12th Parliament “a symbol of integrity” where the law is the only master.
Aligning her bid with the national vision, Namuganza credited Gen. Museveni’s leadership for steering Uganda from instability to decades of peace, adding that her candidacy is guided by his principles of Patriotism and Pan-Africanism.
She asserted that a strong President deserves a strong, corruption-free Parliament, vowing to effectively oversee wealth creation programs like the PDM that have been championed for the people.
The expanding list of candidates, including a female incumbent with the party’s backing, a minister, a city MP, and an opposition party president, suggests that the election for the Speaker’s chair will be fiercely contested.
Wanyoto’s late entry into the race brings a fresh dynamic, rooted in a mandate she claims comes directly from the people of Mbale City.
As the 12th Parliament prepares to take shape, all eyes will now be on the ruling party and the various political factions to see who will ultimately emerge to preside over the country’s legislative agenda.
