The 12th Parliament's first sitting opened as Jacob Oboth-Oboth (West Budama Central) and Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North) were sworn in as Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
Backed by the alliance of the ruling NRM and Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba's Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), their election signals a definitive shift in the legislature's leadership.
President Yoweri Museveni, who attended the session presided over by Chief Justice Flavian Zeija, used the occasion to issue a stern anti-corruption warning.
Taking his oath after an overwhelming victory of 457 votes, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa hailed President Museveni and the Chairperson of the PLU, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, for standing firmly by his side.
"To my beloved family of PLU and our dear chairman Muhoozi Kainerugaba, I will forever be indebted; for you stood strongly by my side," Tayebwa said in his maiden address.
Tayebwa pledged to serve the House with humility and fairness, noting that his experience would help streamline the legislature.
"I know all the corners. I know where we need to clean up and where we need to maintain the status quo," he added, promising a seamless working relationship with the new Speaker.
In his inaugural speech as Speaker, Jacob Oboth-Oboth who won the top seat with 441 votes thanked President Museveni for his enduring confidence and extended an olive branch to lawmakers across the political divide.
"To those who may not have voted for me, I will be your Speaker too," Oboth declared, emphasizing that the Speakership is a "servant's post" rather than a throne.
Oboth outlined a strict seven-pillar agenda for the 12th Parliament, placing zero tolerance for corruption and strengthened accountability at the forefront. "Accountability begins with us. We cannot demand it from others if we do not practice it ourselves," the new Speaker asserted.
The Speaker also acknowledged the support of the PLU on his journey for the top parliamentary position.
Congratulating the newly elected duo, President Yoweri Museveni delivered a blunt, uncompromising address, cautioning MPs against using public office for self-aggrandizement at the expense of ordinary citizens.
Referencing his historical approach, the President warned that the time for leniency was over.
"In the past, I have been soft, preaching like John the Baptist. But I will now take a tougher stance on leaders who fail to deliver services to the people," President Museveni warned.
The President directed NRM legislators to return to their local parishes to rigorously audit wealth-creation funds like Emyooga and the Ghetto Fund. He explicitly warned his front bench that underperforming ministers would face dismissal.
Meanwhile, the resounding victories of Oboth-Oboth and Tayebwa underscore the rapidly growing political influence of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU). Initially marked by fluid alignments within NRM structures, the race was effectively settled a week before the vote, when Gen. Muhoozi publicly directed all PLU and PLU-leaning MPs to back the NRM's preferred candidates. The message was unmistakable: in the 12th Parliament, the PLU is no longer a bystander but a game changer.
