Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth Elected Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament.

By Peterson Hiirya.

Jacob Markson Oboth-Oboth has been duly elected Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament after securing 441 votes in the speakership race held at Parliament.

In the highly contested election, Norbert Mao, president of the Democratic Party (DP), and Laro Peche MP garnered a paltry 15 votes.

Meanwhile, Paul Mwiru, the National Unity Platform flag bearer and Member of Parliament for Jinja South East, secured 60 votes.

Following his election, Oboth-Oboth was sworn in as Speaker of the 12th Parliament and delivered his maiden address to Members of Parliament.

Quoting Isaiah 60:22, he said : “When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.”

Oboth-Oboth thanked God for granting him favour and the opportunity to serve in the high office. He also extended gratitude to President Yoweri Museveni, the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC), and the NRM Parliamentary Caucus for entrusting him with the role.

He pledged to serve all Ugandans fairly, including those who did not vote for him.

“The Speaker’s chair is not a throne, it’s is a position of service,” Oboth-Oboth said.

He also thanked the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) for their support.

The new speaker committed himself to building a corruption-free parliament aligned with President Museveni’s call for integrity in public service.

“We shall hold Cabinet accountable, but we must begin with ourselves,” he stated.

Oboth-Oboth further pledged to lead a people-centred parliament grounded in fairness, facts, transparency, and service delivery.

He emphasized the need for open engagement with the media and promised that Parliament would maintain transparent and robust relations with journalists.

“We will not close out the media,” he assured.

He also called on parliamentary committees to strengthen oversight and avoid “postmortem supervision,” saying proactive accountability is essential to restoring public trust in Parliament.

Oboth-Oboth promised visible reforms within Parliament while assuring Ugandans that his leadership style would remain humble and accessible.

“I will remain the same, Oboth-Oboth. I will not change. Let us serve all Ugandans with respect and honour,” he concluded.

Prior to the election, the National Resistance Movement Central Executive Committee sitting at State House Entebbe endorsed Oboth-Oboth as the ruling party’s candidate for Speaker and Thomas Tayebwa for Deputy Speaker.

According to NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, Oboth-Oboth was endorsed because of his exceptional legal expertise, strong understanding of parliamentary procedure, loyalty to the party, and his reputation as a unifying and non-controversial leader.

The CEC also endorsed Tayebwa for another term as Deputy Speaker, citing his mobilisation skills, youthfulness, and the party’s tradition of allowing deputy speakers to serve two terms.