PLU formally withdraws support for Among, Tayebwa in Speakership race
The Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) has formally withdrawn its earlier endorsement of Speaker Anita Annet Among and Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa for the leadership of Uganda’s 12th Parliament, signaling a major shift in the increasingly tense race for top parliamentary positions.
In a statement dated May 12, 2026, and signed by PLU General Secretary David Kabanda, the political pressure group said the endorsement earlier issued on March 11, 2026, had been “retracted and withdrawn with immediate effect.”
The statement followed guidance from PLU chairman Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who had previously directed all PLU-leaning Members of Parliament-elect to support Among for Speaker and Tayebwa for Deputy Speaker.
“Accordingly, the Chairman of the Patriotic League of Uganda Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has guided as follows: that the endorsement of Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among and Rt. Hon. Thomas Tayebwa as candidates for Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively for the 12th Parliament of Uganda is retracted and withdrawn with immediate effect,” the statement read.
PLU further instructed its members to support candidates who will eventually be presented by President Yoweri Museveni for the positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.
“The leadership of the Patriotic League of Uganda encourages its Hon. Members Elect to support the candidates that will be presented to them by H.E the President,” the statement added.
The development marks a significant political setback for Among and Tayebwa, who had been viewed as frontrunners backed by powerful political actors within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
The withdrawal also comes amid growing political pressure surrounding the Speakership race, with several figures within the ruling establishment increasingly calling for new leadership in Parliament ahead of the opening of the 12th Parliament.
In recent months, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba has repeatedly issued statements criticizing corruption and what he described as extravagant lifestyles among some senior government officials, remarks widely interpreted as targeting Speaker Among and her allies.
The latest PLU position is expected to intensify lobbying within the ruling party as MPs-elect wait for President Museveni’s official guidance on the Speakership contest.
Several candidates, including State Minister Persis Namuganza, have already publicly expressed interest in the Speaker position while criticizing alleged corruption and financial mismanagement in Parliament.
