I’ll put in notice for speakership, Kadaga on her next step after inauguration

Ms Rebecca Kadaga Tuesday said her next step after swearing in as Kamuli Woman Member of Parliament will be to put in her notice for speakership for the 11^th Parliament.

“The next step is to put in my notice for the speakership,” the outgoing speaker told journalists during MPs’ swearing in ceremony at Parliament on Tuesday.

She also said she plans to embark on fulfilling pledges she made to her constituents during campaigns.

“There are many things we agreed to do. There are things they talked to me during the campaigns, including increasing the number of technical schools in the district, water issues. I’m also supposed to ensure there is solar lighting, especially at the trading centers in the district and also improve on girl child education,” she added in a brief interview with journalists.

Her inauguration comes hours after the National Resistance Movement (NRM) top organ yesterday asked its party members interested in contesting in Parliament’s Speaker and deputy Speaker race to express their interest in writing to the party’s electoral commission.

READ: Speaker race: Will it be Kadaga or Oulanyah?

Sources who attended the Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting at State House Entebbe, but who requested for anonymity to speak freely, said they didn’t want to limit any person with the party’s interests but thinks has the potential to lead the 11th Parliament. 

It’s from those who will have submitted their interest by May 21 that CEC will sit again a day later to pick the best candidate for each of the positions to be presented before the caucus that plans to meet on May 23. 

Parliament officially sits on Monday May 24 to elect a Speaker and the deputy.

The speaker’s job pits Ms Kadaga against Omoro County MP Jacob Oulanyah who has been her deputy for the last 10 years.

According to the source, if a consensus is not reached on Saturday, they will be forced to subject the names to a vote. In the meantime, the guidelines for the elections are being finalised although they will not apply to local councils since their elections started yesterday. 

“We have agreed we put guidelines in case we are to put elections for our people. We have said we will see how to manage local governments since they have been overtaken by events. Local governments looked for speakers yesterday and today. But for Speaker of Parliament, those who are interested, let them express interest and CEC will vet on May 22 with the view of harmonizing and fielding one speaker and one deputy speaker,” the source, who attended the meeting, said.