The ruling National Resistance Movement parliamentary caucus has unanimously endorsed Rt. Hon. Jacob Marksons Oboth and Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa as its official flagbearers for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the 12th Parliament respectively.
Jacob Oboth, the Member of Parliament for West Budama Central in Tororo District, secured the caucus endorsement for Speaker, while Thomas Tayebwa, the MP for Ruhinda North County in Mitooma District, was endorsed for Deputy Speaker.
The caucus decision followed approval of the two candidates by the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), which met earlier on Saturday at State House Entebbe under the leadership of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, who also serves as the National Chairman of the NRM.
The endorsement effectively positions the two lawmakers as the ruling party’s official candidates ahead of the election of parliamentary leaders during the inaugural sitting of the 12th Parliament scheduled for Sunday at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
Oboth and Tayebwa are expected to face off with candidates from opposition political parties in what is anticipated to be a closely watched contest that will shape the leadership of Uganda’s next Parliament.
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker elections are among the first key activities of a new Parliament and play a crucial role in determining the legislative direction and management of House business over the next five years.