NUP tightens grip on city hall

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:02]With the new Lord Mayor already in office, NOP's hold on city hall is now complete. This afternoon, council members elected John Mary Seo for to the speaker's chair while Olive Namazi secured the deputy speaker seat.

[00:00:25]The numbers set a stage for a tag of war. With a council members split heavily between NOP's 18 representatives and 16 from the NRM, every vote counted.

[00:00:39]>> 74 John Barry.

[00:00:56]The rest for speaker was keen. Noops John Mary Seu who secured the seat by a narrow margin safeguarding 18 votes to defeat the NRM's Ali Kule who finished with 16.

[00:01:10]>> I John Mary Seu say in the name of the God that I be faithful. The momentum carried into the deputy speaker race where N achieved a slightly wider margin. Olive Namazi locked in the position with 20 votes leaving her opponent behind with 15.

[00:01:33]>> I olive swear in the name of the Almighty God.

[00:01:38]>> Following their victory, the speaker and deputy speaker gave their remarks on how they intended to work together with the council. I'm fully alive to the fact that this is a multipartisan castle.

[00:01:53]The true beauty of our democracy lies not in uniform thought but in our ability to manage our differences for the common good.

[00:02:04]>> You people we have to serve and we have to go back on ground by force. I am going to encourage you. I'm going to mentor you together with my colleagues who we have been sitting with in the authority the new counselors. Please come to our offices. Look out to the counselors that have been in council in Uganda.

[00:02:27]>> The Lord Mayor urged the speaker and deputy speaker to carry out their roles diligently. I urge you to protect the dignity of this council while ensuring that it remains a people centered institution that encourages dialogue, fairness and democratic participation.

[00:02:50]You are actually the custodian of democracy.

[00:02:56]Let us build a council that listens before it decides. The newly elected speaker and deputy speaker now face the task of overseeing council meetings, maintaining chamber decorum and ensuring that promises of local service delivery are actually kept.

[00:03:18]NTV.