Museveni Hints on ‘Job’ for Ally Norbert Mao after Poor Performance in Speaker Race

President Yoweri Museveni has hinted on a job for ally Norbert Mao after poor performance in Speaker race.

Big-talking Norbert Mao, the Laroo-Pece MP and outgoing minister of justice and constitutional affairs minister, managed to get only 15 votes, losing to Jacob Oboth Oboth who garnered 441 votes to be elected 12^th parliament speaker.

Mao, who had caused laughter at Kololo as he comically walked to the podium to accept his nomination to contest in the speaker race, later said he would have resigned his parliament seat had he failed to get at least 10 votes.

Museveni spent hours at Kololo Grounds where he witnessed the election of speaker and deputy speaker of the 12^th parliament, and handed over instruments of power to speaker Marksons Jacob Oboth Oboth and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa Bangirana.

In comments after the speaker and deputy speaker races, Museveni congratulated the 12^th parliament on a good start.

“I congratulate the Rt. Hon. Speaker Jacob Oboth Oboth and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa and thank the MPs for carrying out their mandate of voting, peacefully and transparently,” wrote Museveni, who doubles as the national chairman of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party that sponsored Tayebwa and Oboth.

Museveni also threatened action against government officials who fail to fight poverty.

“Regarding this Parliament, I have been patient before, but this term there will be no room for leaders who seek titles without helping the people they lead. I am directing NRM leaders to return to the parishes and ensure that existing government programmes are lifting people out of poverty,” he noted.

“I do not want to hear excuses about poverty while solutions already exist. Ministers and government officials who fail in this responsibility will be held accountable. This is Kisanja  no sleep . Enough is enough.”

Museveni observed that his ally Nobert Mao’s 15 votes could as well have gone to Oboth, promising to “address this” – which appeared like a hint to absorb Mao in the upcoming cabinet.

“The NRM candidates obtained more votes than the NRM members in the House, and I note the votes our ally Mao took away,” he stated.

“We shall address this because we want a united Parliament that serves our people better.”

Whether Museveni gives Norbert Mao a job in his cabinet remains to be seen, especially since the cooperation agreement between Mao’s DP and Museveni’s NRM was yet to be renewed.

But the fact that Museveni still addresses Mao as “our ally” is a good sign for the Laroo-Pece MP.

It should be remembered that Museveni’s son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba had asked Norbert Mao to quit the speaker race for “a bigger job.” (See Details Here and There).

You can read interesting facts about the newly elected speaker Jacob Oboth Oboth and deputy speaker Thomas Tayebwa Here and There.