Anita Among Cancels Munyonyo Dinner as NRM MPs are Ordered to Attend Jacob Oboth Oboth Thanksgiving Party in Mukono

Outgoing speaker Anita Among has cancelled a dinner she had planned for Saturday, May 16, 2026, as NRM MPs have reportedly been ordered to attend Jacob Oboth Oboth’s thanksgiving party in Mukono.

Both events were meant to happen on Saturday but following developments in the last 48 hours, Anita Among’s team has decided to call off the dinner they had organized in Munyonyo.

Majority of the guests, The Pearl Times has learnt, were expected to be MPs of the 12th Parliament as Anita Among had planned to use the dinner to further canvass for votes and convince newly elected MPs to give her another term as speaker.

But with the dinner now cancelled, NRM MPs are said to have been directed to make sure they attend the Oboth Oboth event in Mukono at the home of the man poised to be speaker of the 12th parliament – with the blessing of first son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and President Yoweri Museveni.

The race for Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament has turned into one of the most intense internal contests within the ruling establishment in recent years, pitting incumbent Anita Among against a growing list of challengers amid shifting power dynamics.

Initially, the ruling NRM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) had endorsed Among and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa for continuity, but that position has steadily weakened following internal dissent and mounting controversy around her leadership.

A major turning point came with the intervention of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, whose Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) withdrew its earlier backing for Among.

The decision to withdraw support followed public backlash over her lavish lifestyle—most notably the controversy surrounding a high-value Rolls Royce said to be a gift—which intensified scrutiny on her candidacy and credibility.

Muhoozi has since signaled a shift toward alternative leadership, indicating that he has thrown his weight behind Jacob Oboth-Oboth.

Oboth-Oboth, the outgoing defence minister and seasoned legislator former committee chair known for his legal and parliamentary background, is increasingly being framed as a candidate capable of “restoring the integrity” of Parliament, aligning with Muhoozi’s messaging around discipline and reform.

This shift has been reinforced by developments at State House involving Yoweri Museveni and Anita Among. A closed-door meeting between Museveni and Among has become a focal point of the race, with insiders suggesting it was part of broader consultations on the leadership of the next Parliament.

Crucially, after this meeting, ruling party mobilisers were reportedly quietly tasked with building support for Oboth-Oboth to formally enter the race—signaling a possible recalibration of Museveni’s position.

The State House engagement underscores Museveni’s central role as ultimate arbiter in the contest, even as he balances competing interests within the NRM and its allied formations. While Among has previously enjoyed his backing and is credited with maintaining executive influence over Parliament, recent events suggest that loyalty alone may no longer be sufficient, with “credibility” and public perception becoming more decisive factors in determining the party’s preferred candidate.

Taken together, the speaker race has evolved into a high-stakes political realignment: Muhoozi’s camp is openly distancing itself from Among while elevating Oboth-Oboth; Museveni appears to be keeping his options open while quietly testing alternatives; and the broader NRM caucus is being drawn into a contest that is no longer a foregone conclusion.

What began as a routine endorsement process has now turned into a fluid and unpredictable battle that could reshape the balance of power within Uganda’s next Parliament.

The success of Jacob Oboth Oboth’s thanksgiving party in Mukono will be measured by how many NRM MPs, independents and opposition legislators troop to the party to show him support.

You can read interesting facts about Jacob Oboth Oboth’s Here.

Meanwhile, even Thomas Tayebwa has been thrown under the bus with Muhoozi picking a female MP for the deputy speaker job.