It was a joyous affair at the Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Monday after Mr Jacob Marksons Oboth, alias Oboth-Oboth, was declared the Speaker of the 12th Parliament.
The election offered a reprieve from weeks of turmoil that had rocked the nation after former Speaker Anita Among was placed under investigation over suspected illicit enrichment and corruption.
Ms Among, who had initially vowed to throw her hat in the ring for a second term, was reportedly unceremoniously shown the door by President Museveni during a State House meeting on May 14, shortly before the investigations began.
Mr Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also the Chief of Defence Forces, later endorsed Mr Oboth for the Speaker position.
This endorsement was approved by both the Central Executive Committee of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party and the parliamentary caucus, paving the way for his election to the third most powerful office in the land.
‘Honourable members, I thank you most sincerely for entrusting me today with the highest office of being your Speaker, which responsibility I receive with utmost humility and modesty,’ Mr Oboth said after being declared the winner on Monday.
He now inherits a House still struggling under the weight of corruption scandals that plagued the 11th Parliament.
The contest was conducted amid a high-profile probe into his predecessor, Ms Among, who was conspicuously absent from Monday’s sitting despite being eligible to vote. Mr Museveni ordered the investigation into her wealth after allegations first surfaced during the Parliament exhibition on social media, which accused her of nepotism, corruption, and a laundry list of misdeeds.
The 11th Parliament also faced public outrage after 20 ministers and more than 30 MPs were caught up in the Karamoja iron sheet bonanza, in which aid meant for the poorest of the poor was diverted.
The implicated officials included Ms Among, Mr Oboth, then minister for Karamoja Affairs Mary Goretti Kitutu and her Junior Agnes Nandutu.
The Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s offices also came under fire after their budgets ballooned over four years. While Ms Among basked in the limelight for her flashy lifestyle, her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, managed to fly under the radar and quietly secured another term.
Ms Among was also accused of muzzling debate, often wielding her gavel like a hammer to silence dissent whenever things were not favourable for the sitting government. It remains to be seen how Mr Oboth will steer the ship in the next five years, but he has made a promise to calm the waters at the country’s third arm of government.
‘We are aware of what we’ve been going through. I pledge a corruption-free Parliament. Under my leadership, we shall cultivate a culture of absolute integrity and zero tolerance to corruption anchored in Museveni’s clarion call for a corruption-free Parliament in the next five years,’ Mr Oboth said shortly after being declared the winner.
He also vowed to hold the Executive’s feet to the fire, promising accountability where the 11th Parliament had largely bent to its will.
‘Accountability begins with us. In the next five years, we will hold the Executive and other government bodies accountable. We cannot hide from accountability for government resources, yet we expect it from other agencies and departments. That will not work,’ Mr Oboth said.
While previous parliaments showcased the Speaker’s unchecked power, Mr Oboth promised a different tune.
‘The Speaker’s chair is not a throne. It is a servant’s post. My role now is to come before you to ensure that the voices of over 48 million Ugandans who sent us here are heard, respected and protected. Under my leadership, the floor of Parliament will not be a theatre for hearsay or grandstanding. Our debates must be grounded in hard facts, data and sound research. We must be fair and objective to others as we play our oversight function.’
Over the last four years, the Speaker and Deputy’s budgets skyrocketed from Shs3.9b under the late Jacob Oulanyah to Shs28b and Shs21b, respectively. Mr Oboth pledged to tighten the purse strings.
‘Budgeting will no longer be an exercise in financial engineering and distortion. It will be a service-oriented, results-driven endeavour to deliver services to our people,’ he said.
On media freedom, Mr Oboth promised to roll back Ms Among’s heavy hand on critical media houses. In 2025, she had cracked the whip on independent journalism, booting Nation Media Group Uganda reporters without explanation.
‘An open Parliament… During this term, let’s appreciate that an objective and ethical media are not our enemies but the public’s eye and ear. We must maintain a transparent, decent and open Parliament. When we close our doors to the media, a negative perception is generated. If we are clean and doing a good job, why hide? I will encourage a professional and robust association with the press at all times in order to bridge the gap between the House and its people,’ he said.
Manjiya County MP John Baptist Nambeshe weighed in, warning that Parliament will only function as a truly independent arm of government if the new leadership resists Executive overreach.
‘The truth of the matter is, if you did a detailed analysis of the parliaments, each Parliament comes with its own peculiar challenges. And this particular one, of course, has come at a time when the party in power seems to be determined to fight for a culture of impunity. They should not allow to be twisted by the powers that be, which is the Executive, which is merely an arm of the government, which is independent, just like the legislature is independent,’ he said.
Otherwise, the work is cut out for the man from West Budama Central for the next five years, and the nation will be keenly observing.