Who is who in Deputy Speaker race

Nine MPs have so far expressed interest in the office of Deputy Speaker, to replace Mr Jacob Oulanyah who vacated the seat on Wednesday and set his eyes on the Speaker position. 

Members of the 11th Parliament will convene at Kololo Independence Grounds tomorrow, May 24, to elect the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker.  

The Deputy Speaker is under the Office of the Speaker. It’s the fifth highest office in the land. The Deputy chairs the House in the absence of the Speaker or as and when called in by the Speaker.

Below are the contenders for Deputy Speaker. 

Theodore Ssekikubo, NRM, Lwemiyaga County

Theodore Ssekikubo, 51, is one of the senior legislators in Parliament. He comes from Sembabule District. 

He has been in Parliament since 2001. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, Master of Public Administration and Management, Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. 

He worked at Ministry of Defence between 1999 and 2000, and at some point taught at Ndejje University. He is one of the few outspoken NRM legislators, aka “rebels,” who advocated for oil laws in 2011. 

Ssekikubo mobilised about 200 MPs who signed a petition to recall Parliament from recess to discuss corruption in the oil deals.

In 2016, Mr Ssekikubo and David Bahati attempted to run for the Deputy Speaker position but were requested by the ruling party to step down for Oulanyah. 

He says he doesn’t have any disciplinary issue, and markets his candidature as “the most qualified person for the position.” 

He calls himself a neutral candidate in the race and promises to foster unity and enable Parliament to perform its functions effectively. 

“I am a dependable person with vast skills and a wealth of parliamentary experience well-aligned with the position of the Deputy Speaker. This puts me in the best position to serve my NRM party and the country,” Mr Ssekikubo says.

Thomas Tayebwa, NRM, Ruhinda North

Thomas Bangirana Tayebwa, 41, is a lawyer. He joined Parliament in 2016 and in January, he was re-elected as MP of Ruhinda North County in Mitooma District. He is a member of the ruling NRM party. He possesses a Bachelors of Laws Degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences, both from Makerere University. He is currently a Fellow of MBA at Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI). He also holds a Certificate in Negotiation from Harvard Law School and a Professional Certificate in Parliamentary Affairs from International Centre for Parliamentary Studies, London. He is a member of Makerere University Council.

Tayebwa is an entrepreneur with interests in communications and media, culture and heritage, transport and cosmetics. He is also a renowned philanthropist who has supported several community projects across the county, and continues to support several children from vulnerable backgrounds to attain education, medical care etc. He has also supported several youth start-ups with capital and as a business mentor.

Tayebwa seeks to ensure economic independence of the MPs and bringing the Office of Speaker of Parliament closer to the Members of Parliament. Mr Tayebwa says as Deputy Speaker, he will be in a national leadership position and, therefore, able to address countrywide issues. 

“We are looking at improving the quality of debate through building the capacity of MPs through annual review and assessment of members’ performances instead of leaving it to outsiders who give a scorecard,” he says. 

Jacob Oboth-Oboth, NRM, West Budama Central

Jacob Marksons Oboth, commonly known as Jacob Oboth-Oboth, 50, was born in Tororo District in eastern Uganda. He possesses a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University, Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and Master of Laws from University of Minnesota Law School, USA. Between 2003 and 2010, he was the acting Principal State Attorney/Head, Mbale Regional Office.  He was the chairperson of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in the dissolved 10th Parliament. He joined Parliament in 2011.

He told Sunday Monitor that he brings to the table vast experience in administration of legislative institutions. 

He scoffed at fellow competitors who front money to galvanise votes. 

“You may have heard that Oboth is the most qualified but does not have ttoke. Have we gone that low to start distributing ttoke in Parliament? If that is the case, I shrug. I trust that CEC, the highest organ of the [NRM] party will find me suitable for this office. I have the experience; I have been exposed internationally for 10 years, I have been in the Commonwealth Parliament for 10 years, I have been a president of the Parliamentarians for Global Action that covers 178 countries. I have known how other parliaments do business. This is what I am bringing,” Mr Oboth said. 

Mr Oboth represented West Budama South in the 10th Parliament before shifting to newly created West Budama Central. 

He served as the chair of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee in the 10th Parliament where he oversaw the processing of the Age Limit Bill and presented a report recommending that the House should pass it.

Robinah Rwakoojo, NRM, Gomba West

Robinah Rwakoojo, 57, is a lawyer. Formerly, she worked in the ministry of Justice. Ms Rwakoojo says she is contesting for the office of the Deputy Speaker to advance quality legislation. 

She believes she is the best candidate for the job because of her rich legal background.  “The main duty of a parliamentarian is to legislate and I would like to see us doing that even better, and coming up with laws that favour the public and us. There is a lot we have to learn and I think that can be inculcated in building capacity of members,” Ms Rwakoojo told NTV in March.  

Ms Rwakoojo said she has also gained experience form chairing various committees, whose rules and procedures are similar to those of parliamentary sittings. 

She served on the Committee on Equal Opportunities of Parliament, the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, among others.

Prior to joining Parliament in 2016, she served at the Directorate of Civil Litigation in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, where she worked for 25 years. 

Ms Rwakoojo also said given it is a multi-party dispensation, she would respect the position of the NRM party. 

Anita Among, NRM, Bukedea Woman MP

Anita Among, 47, comes from Bukedea District. She possesses a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) from Makerere University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Banking, Master of Business Administration (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Laws from Makerere University. 

She joined Parliament in 2016. Ms Among says her experience in both the Opposition and the NRM makes her a suitable candidate for the  Office of Deputy Speaker. 

She worked with the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and later shifted allegiance to the ruling party and voted for the removal of the presidential age limit in December 2017. 

“I should work as a bridge between the Opposition and NRM… I should be able to promote equal opportunities in terms of allocation of time in the House for anybody to debate in the House and when the person is debating, that is a voice of the so many that are voiceless,” Ms Among said in February after announcing her bid. She deputised Abdu Katuntu in the Cosase probe into Bank of Uganda. 

Robinah Nabbanja, NRM, Kakumiro Woman MP

Robinah Nabbanja, 52, is known for her mobilisation skills. She is the State minister for Health in-charge of General Duties. She told this newspaper that she will work to unite the Legislature and other government agencies. She is a teacher and is serving her third term in Parliament.

“We are many women with experience. I will ensure the promises government makes are fulfilled. I am tested in the party and have grown through the years. I want to bring unity between Parliament and other government arms,” Ms Nabbanja said after submitting her application to the party electoral commission on May 20.

Muhammad Nsereko, Indp, Kampala Central

Muhammad Nsereko, 40, is a lawyer. He is an Independent member of Parliament who has represented the Kampala Central Division constituency since 2011. 

In 2016, he contested for the office of Deputy Speaker and was defeated by NRM candidate Jacob Oulanyah. He says he wants to advance the integrity of the leadership of the Legislature. 

He possesses a Bachelor of Law from Makerere University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice and a Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Land Policy from University of Kent, UK.

“I will not be attending party caucus… that means I will give you my independent decision when it comes to matters that are subject to giving decisions that must be independent… if you want a strong Parliament, if you want a Parliament with a backbone you can rely on me,” Mr Nsereko says. 

In 2016, Mr Nsereko defied the NRM position to give Mr Oulanyah an unopposed party ticket.  

He was also briefly thrown out of Parliament after being labelled a “rebel” MP and endured protracted legal battles to regain his seat.  He has since contested as an independent. 

Dennis Oguzu, FDC, Maracha County 

Denis Lee Onguzu, 37, defied his party’s position to contest for Deputy Speaker position. FDC had anointed Mawokota South MP Yusuf Nsibambi as their flag bearer in the race. But Mr Onguzu believes he needs reforms in Parliament to be more visible and impactful in the lives of Ugandans. He also believes he is the man to advance the agenda of a pro-people Parliament.

He possesses a Bachelor of Information Technology from Makerere University. Before he came to Parliament, he was head of the West Nile Rural Development Agency and at some point worked as the warehouse receipt and communication Advisor at USAID.

Mr Oguzu markets himself as a “unifier” in the House and the country after what he termed divisive 2021 election. 

“The country needs a figure who is focused on the challenges Ugandans face, not ability to please particular individuals… we must be driven by values and those should be based on the challenges Ugandans face,” Mr Oguzu says. 

“My candidature is informed by the challenges we have faced as a country. We have emerged from a violent election that has left the country divided and because of that, if we do not build consensus on where next the country should move, there will be challenge. We have a group that seeks to alienate the other, another seeks to advance against the other and that is not how nations are built, nations are built on consensus,” he says.

“This is a transitional Parliament and we cannot avoid discussing the future of this country. The only thing is a unifier and I see myself play that role when elected Deputy Speaker. I want to create a platform where various shades of opinion can interact and chart a way forward.”

Yusuf Nsibambi, FDC, Mawokota South

Yusuf Nsibambi, 56, is a renowned lawyer. He is the proprietor of Jalia City, Buyaya, Nkozi on Masaka Road. He is one of the first-time parliamentarians. He was endorsed by his party in April this year to contest for the Deputy Speaker position. 

The veteran lawyer, who was part of the legal team that represented Dr Kizza Besigye during the infamous rape trial of 2006, also served as lecturer of Law at Makerere University. 

He is a founding member of FDC party who forged his way to Parliament through an alliance with the now biggest Opposition party, National Unity Platform (NUP).

Mr Nsibambi says the independence of the House has been compromised and he is the man to change the narrative. 

“I especially want to fight for the independence of the Legislature, which has on several occasions come under attack by the Executive. The principle of separation of powers must be seen to work; that’s my main mission,” he told Sunday Monitor on February 6.