The central executive committee (CEC) of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party has endorsed Bukedea Woman MP, Anita Among for the speaker position.
Among has been serving as deputy speaker under the fallen speaker Jacob Oulanyah who died on Sunday in a hospital in Seattle USA, where he had been taken for specialized treatment last month.
At the time of his death, Oulanyah had only presided over parliament business for 9 months and 24 days since his election to the position in May 2021. On Tuesday, 13 NRM MPs expressed interest in the seat.
They include deputy attorney general Jackson Kafuuzi, minister of state for Defence Jacob Oboth Oboth, Jackson Atima Lee Buti, Arua Central MP, Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi.
Others are Dokolo South MP, Felix Okot Ogongo, Lwemiyaga County MP Theodore Ssekikubo, Kagoma North MP Kintu Brandon, minister of Health Jane Ruth Aceng, minister of state for Sports, Hamson Obua, Florence Asiimwe, the Masindi Woman MP, John Amos Okot, the Agago North MP and Pius Wakabi, the Bugahya County MP.
A CEC sitting presided over by President Museveni yesterday Wednesday endorsed Among for the position. Capt. Mike Mukula, the NRM National vice chairman for Eastern region confirmed Among’s endorsement through his official Twitter handle.
Her name will now further be discussed in the NRM Parliamentary caucus scheduled for today Thursday at Kololo Independence grounds and possibly another candidate to take up the deputy speaker seat.
This will be before an election by the House on Friday in which other the opposition will field candidates. So far only two opposition MPs; Asuman Basalirwa (Bugiri) and Kampala Woman MP Shamim Malende have expressed interest in the position.
NRM boasts of the highest number of MPs in the 11th parliament totaling 336 MPs against opposition’s 109 MPs. All the past speakers of parliament have been candidates endorsed by the ruling party.
