REMEMBER ME, SIR! Norbert Mao Writes to Museveni

In a move that is already stirring political corridors in Kampala, Democratic Party (DP) President General Norbert Mao has formally written to National Resistance Movement (NRM) chairman Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the party’s Secretary General Richard Todwong, seeking to have his bid for Speaker of Parliament discussed during the forthcoming NRM Central Executive Committee (CEC) and Parliamentary Caucus meetings.

The letter revives attention on the now-famous cooperation agreement signed between the DP and the ruling NRM on July 20, 2022 at State House, Entebbe — a political pact that dramatically reshaped Uganda’s opposition landscape, particularly for the DP.

That agreement, sealed by NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong and DP Secretary General Gerald Siranda, carried 42 clauses outlining political collaboration, constitutional governance, power-sharing and the promotion of human rights. (Read the full NRM-DP cooperation agreement, word by word Here).

For many observers, the deal marked more than a handshake between rivals. It symbolized Mao’s calculated entry into the center of state power after years in opposition politics.

Soon after the agreement was signed, Mao was appointed Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs in Museveni’s government, while Siranda later secured a slot at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA).

Now, Mao’s latest appeal appears to signal an attempt to extend that cooperation even further — this time toward the powerful office of Speaker of Parliament.

Yet the relationship between the NRM and DP did not begin in 2022.

Uganda’s post-1986 political history shows that the Democratic Party has long had links with Museveni’s broad-based government arrangement that followed the National Resistance Army (NRA) liberation struggle.

Historical accounts indicate that a significant portion of Cabinet members in the early years of the NRM administration were drawn from the DP.

Among the most prominent figures was former DP President General Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, one of Uganda’s most respected opposition leaders, who became a key pillar in the broad-based government.

Ssemogerere served as Minister of Internal Affairs between 1986 and 1988 before taking over the Foreign Affairs docket from 1988 to 1994. He later served as Minister of Public Service from 1994 to 1995 while concurrently holding the influential position of Deputy Prime Minister.

The race for Speaker has, however, become increasingly dramatic in recent months, with Mao openly declaring interest in the position long before the current political turbulence surrounding Parliament’s leadership.

Mao previously described incumbent Speaker Anita Among as an “accidental speaker,” arguing that she only ascended to the top parliamentary office because she happened to be Deputy Speaker when former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah died in March 2022.

The rivalry between Mao and Among later exploded into public view during the NRM retreat in Kyankwanzi, where the two reportedly exchanged sharp words. Among warned Mao against “entering the NRM bedroom,” while Mao accused her of displaying bad manners. (See Details Here and There).

The Speakership contest took another turn after Anita Among withdrew from the race amid mounting investigations targeting her. Her homes in Nakasero and Kigo were reportedly raided, luxury vehicles towed to Police Headquarters in Naguru, bank accounts frozen and her Parliament office searched as investigations intensified.

At the same time, President Museveni and his son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, threw their weight behind Defence and Veteran Affairs Minister Jacob Oboth Oboth for the Speaker position.

NRM legislators, who form the biggest voting bloc in the electoral college for Speaker and Deputy Speaker, have reportedly been directed to support Oboth Oboth’s candidature.

Despite the growing pressure and Anita Among’s withdrawal, Mao has maintained that he will remain in the race and will not step aside in favour of Jacob Oboth Oboth. Mao insists that, following Among’s exit, he is the “substitute on the bench” who deserves consideration for the office.

Attention now shifts to the ruling NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) and the NRM Parliamentary Caucus, made up of party MPs and NRM-leaning independents, which are expected to determine the party’s official candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker during meetings scheduled for this weekend.

It should be remembered that Gen Muhoozi has asked Norbert Mao to withdraw from the speaker race and get a ‘bigger job,’ even as a senior NRM cadre begged Museveni to appoint Norbert Mao vice president. (See Details Here, There and Over There).