Former Makerere University Vice Chancellor Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba has weighed in on the election of Jacob Marksons Oboth-Oboth as Speaker of Uganda’s 12th Parliament, urging urgent reforms in parliamentary remuneration as part of the broader fight against corruption in public institutions.
Oboth-Oboth was elected on Monday, May 25, 2026, at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds after securing a decisive victory in a secret ballot overseen by Chief Justice Flavian Zeija.
He garnered 441 votes, defeating Paul Mwiru, who managed 60 votes, and Norbert Mao, who trailed with 15 votes.
His win cemented the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) dominance in parliamentary leadership, following the earlier election of Thomas Tayebwa as Deputy Speaker.
In a congratulatory message, Prof. Baryamureeba praised the outcome while calling for deeper structural reforms in how Parliament handles public funds and salaries.
“Hon Jacob Marksons Oboth, I would like to congratulate you on being elected Speaker of Parliament on 25th May 2026. Congratulations to HE Kaguta Museveni, the NRM fraternity and Ugandans at large,” he stated.
He noted that while he had reviewed the Speaker’s acceptance speech and commitments, corruption in Parliament, in his view, is entrenched in financial systems that require legal restructuring rather than administrative pledges alone.
“Corruption in Parliament takes several forms. But if you really want to fight corruption then in the first 100 days enact a law setting up a ‘Salaries and Remuneration Commission’ that shall determine salaries and benefits of all that receive salaries and benefits from the consolidated fund including members of Parliament,” he proposed.
Baryamureeba argued that such a body would restore balance in public finance management and prevent what he described as institutional self-allocation of excessive benefits.
“This will put in place a check on the function of Parliament of appropriation. Without this, we shall continue to see Parliament inserting exorbitant salaries and allowances in the Commissions budget before approval of the national budget,” he added.
He further questioned disparities in parliamentary benefits, pointing to what he termed as inflated allowances compared to civil service pay structures.
“Imagine a Speaker or Deputy Speaker receiving a month’s salary for Permanent Secretary in a ministry as one day’s per-diem for travelling to Kigali,” he observed.
Oboth-Oboth, who is expected to set the tone for the new parliamentary term, has pledged reforms aimed at strengthening oversight, improving accountability, and tackling corruption within the legislature.
His leadership begins under heightened public scrutiny as expectations rise over governance and fiscal discipline in Parliament.