Anita Among Sent In Panic Mode As NRM Invites Norbert Mao To Speak To NRM MPs In Kyankwanzi

The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) is set to host newly elected Members of Parliament for a week-long retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi, as part of efforts to orient legislators on the party’s ideology and governance agenda.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, NRM Secretary General Rt.Hon.Richard Todwong said the retreat will run from April 7 to April 15, 2026, bringing together newly elected NRM MPs, returning legislators, and NRM Leaning independent MPs willing to work with the party.

Mr Todwong said participants are expected to report to Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala on April 6 for accreditation and COVID-19 testing before departing for Kyankwanzi the following day.

“As has been our culture, the party invites newly elected Members of Parliament to Kyankwanzi to bond, understand the party direction, and appreciate national priorities,” he said.

He added that the retreat will also be attended by members of the NRM Central Executive Committee, senior party officials, and cabinet ministers who are also MPs.

According to Todwong, about 72 independent MPs have been identified, with at least 40 already having signed memoranda of understanding to cooperate with the NRM. He noted that others are expected to join before the retreat begins.

The party has also extended an open invitation to opposition members interested in attending the sessions, including an opportunity for an opposition figure to present a paper on the role of opposition in national development.

Among the opposition members invited is the newly elected MP for Laro-Pece also the President General of Democratic Party Norbert Mao who is also the Minister of Justice and Constitutional affairs and is seeking to unseat the very powerful Anita Among for speakership in the 12th parliament.

Mao together with a few DP leaders signed a working Memorandum of Understanding with the Museveni’s NRM and it’s through this deal that he was appointed cabinet Minister and also DP’s Secretary General Gerald Siranda was also gifted with a sit in the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) as a Ugandan representative.

Speaking at the Secretariat, NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong revealed that the party extended an invitation to Mao since he’s an MP and a member of cabinet and will attend the Kyankwanzi retreat to speak to NRM MPs and the independent MPs who signed an MOU to work with MPs.

Political observers see this as an opportunity for Mao to galvanize his speakership bid and campaign on the same platform with Anita Among who is facing resistance from with in the party not to become Speaker of the next parliament considering a number of factors especially that she’s grounded and sanctioned by some Western countries. She can only travel to Vatican to meet the Pope but can’t travel to the UK or the US to attend high level engagements as Speaker of parliament.

.@TodwongR: “ Hon.Norbert Mao is a member of the Cabinet of Uganda and a newly elected member of Parliament. He has not expressed any intention of not working with NRM. He is one of the independents we have invited to Kyankwanzi; it is up to him to accept our invitation or not.” pic.twitter.com/6CqSk96iS7

— UBC UGANDA (@ubctvuganda) April 2, 2026

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