KAMPALA & KYANKWANZI – UGANDA — A sharp exchange among senior political figures has ignited fresh debate over power and the future leadership of Uganda’s Parliament, with Justice Minister Norbert Mao leading the initial criticism of Speaker Anita Among before a stinging intervention by Gen David Sejusa added to the conversation. Sejusa says Parliament is the dining room where eaters gather, not NRM’s bedroom.
“This is not just bad politics. It is bad manners,” Mao said in response to Among’s comments. “Only the head of the family has the final word on who can access which room in the home. He doesn’t need lectures from a recently adopted child. Above all, when you insult your father’s visitors, you’ve insulted your father.”
Mao’s remarks were widely interpreted as both a rebuke of Among’s language and a subtle assertion of political hierarchy. His reference to a “recently adopted child” has fueled speculation about underlying tensions, particularly given the evolving dynamics within Uganda’s ruling establishment.
Crucially, Mao’s intervention comes against the backdrop of an emerging contest for the Speakership of the 12th Parliament. While Anita Among currently holds the position, having assumed office following the death of her predecessor Jacob Oulanyah, Mao is among those openly campaigning for the same role.
Mao says Among is an “accidental Speaker”—a characterization rooted in the circumstances under which she rose to the position after Oulanyah’s death in office. Though she has since consolidated her authority, that narrative continues to shape perceptions of her leadership and legitimacy, particularly among rivals eyeing the post.
Among made the remarks that triggered the dispute while speaking about cooperation between the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and other political actors, especially Norbert Mao’s Democratic Party (DP). She drew a distinction between collaboration and what should be reserved for insiders within the NRM for which she is second national vice chairperson.
“We do cooperate with other political parties,” she said, “but it does not mean that if we are cooperating you come up to my bedroom; you remain in the compound. The bedroom this time round is the Speakership. You cannot cooperate to the tune of Speakership.”
Gen David Sejusa, the former intelligence chief, quickly dismissed Among’s analogy.
“Parliament is not the bedroom of NRM,” he said. “It is the dining where eaters gather.”
The remark quickly gained traction, resonating with a public increasingly skeptical of political institutions. By recasting Parliament as a “dining room,” Sejusa invoked a familiar critique—that the institution has become a space where elites converge to share in state resources rather than serve the electorate.
The phrase “eaters gather” carries deep political connotations in Uganda, often used to describe patronage networks and the distribution of benefits among those with access to power. In that sense, Sejusa’s statement went beyond rebutting Among’s metaphor; it challenged the integrity of Parliament itself.
The sequence of responses—from Mao’s critique to Sejusa’s condemnation—reflects both personal rivalries and broader political tensions. The debate comes as the Speakership of the 12th Parliament emerges as a key point of competition, with Among as the incumbent and Mao as a prominent challenger.
The use of vivid domestic metaphors—bedrooms, compounds, dining rooms—has made the exchange particularly accessible and widely discussed. Beneath the imagery lies serious questions: who truly controls Parliament, and in whose interests does it operate? And who, between Norbert Mao and Anita Among, will be the speaker of the 12th parliament?
Read our earlier report on Norbert Mao’s labelling of Anita Among as an adopted child with bad manners, on top of the ‘accidental speaker’ model Here and There.
