KAMPALA, Uganda — When Norbert Mao, the longtime leader of Uganda’s oldest opposition party, signed a cooperation agreement with President Yoweri Museveni in 2022, critics called it a surrender. Mr. Mao called it a “bridge.”
Now, fresh from winning a parliamentary seat in Gulu City, the Justice Minister appears ready to test just how much weight that bridge can hold.
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In a measured but unmistakable shift in tone, Mr. Mao signaled this week that he is open to challenging the status quo for the speakership of the 12th Parliament. It is a move that forces a confrontation between the terms of his strategic alliance and the entrenched interests of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“I have never been afraid to declare interest in any position,” Mr. Mao told reporters at his party’s headquarters, framing his potential bid as a response to public “goodwill” rather than personal vanity.
The move is a direct challenge to the internal mechanics of the NRM, which typically ring-fences the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker for two terms. By eyeing the seat currently held by Anita Among, Mr. Mao is essentially asking the NRM to prioritize its pact with his Democratic Party over its own traditional hierarchy.
To bolster his case, Mr. Mao is leaning on his record as a political fixer for the president in northern Uganda. He noted that under his influence, support for Mr. Museveni in the region has surged from 44 percent to over 80 percent. In the transactional world of Ugandan politics, Mr. Mao is presenting his bill for services rendered.
However, the limits of his influence are clear. The NRM’s Central Executive Committee remains the ultimate arbiter of legislative power, and Mr. Mao’s pact—while granting him a cabinet seat—did not explicitly promise him the leadership of a separate arm of government.
For Mr. Mao, the gamble is significant. A failed bid could alienate the NRM establishment that he now relies on for his cabinet portfolio, while also further distancing him from an opposition base that still views his 2022 deal with suspicion.
“A Speaker must belong to Parliament and not to any individual or party,” Mr. Mao said, a statement that serves as both a job application and a subtle critique of the current legislative leadership.
Whether Mr. Museveni views Mr. Mao’s ambition as a useful disruption or an overstep remains the defining question of their partnership. For now, the Justice Minister is no longer just a guest in the NRM’s house; he is asking for the keys to the front door.
