Kampala, Uganda: The Democratic Party President General and Uganda’s Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Hon Norbert Mao, has declared that Uganda needs a Speaker of Parliament driven by service and impact, not personal financial gain, amid intensifying debate over the next leadership of the August House.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, April 21, at the Democratic Party headquarters in Kampala, Mao framed the Speakership as a position of national responsibility rather than personal enrichment.
“We don’t want a Speaker who just wants to make money. We want a Speaker who wants to make a difference,” Mao, who is also the MP-elect for Laroo-Pece Division in Gulu City, said.
The DP President said Uganda’s Parliament requires leadership focused on accountability, integrity, and national transformation, warning against reducing high public office to personal gain.
He stressed that the debate around the Speakership should centre on competence, values, and the ability to serve citizens effectively, not speculation about individual wealth. “We should not reduce the debate about important questions to simple things,” he added.
Mao’s remarks come as he continues to face criticism from sections of the public questioning his decision to join the Cabinet, with some alleging financial motives. “I was offered the job of minister in June 2021. Can a hungry person wait for one year to be paid his first salary as a minister? And you know it is not a small salary,” he asked.
On claims that he finally took up the ministerial job out of financial desperation, Mao described the claims as baseless and simplistic. “I grew up in poverty, and it did not kill me,” he said, pointing to his academic qualifications and decades-long legal career.
“Will poverty kill me when I have a Bachelor of Laws, a Master of Arts, a Master of Dispute Resolution, and over 30 years as an advocate?” he wondered.
Mao firmly warned detractors against what he described as personal attacks, saying he would expose their records if the criticism continues. “Anybody attacking me stupidly, I will get their full record and hang it for the whole country to see,” he said.
Political observers say Mao’s statement signals a deliberate attempt to shape the narrative around the Speakership race, positioning himself as a reform-minded candidate focused on impact rather than personal benefit.
With speculation building around potential candidates, Mao’s message sets an early benchmark for what he believes should define the next Speaker: integrity, service, and measurable impact.
The 12th Parliament of Uganda is expected to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker at its first sitting in May after the elected MPs, over 500 in number, take their oaths of service.
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