NORBERT MAO is the leader and  Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party of Uganda.  He is also the current Chairman of Gulu District in Northern Uganda. Prior to this he loyally served for ten years as a Member of Parliament. As the political leader of the most war affected area in Uganda, he has remained ever vigilant and engaged in peace building and reconstruction efforts. He is a charismatic leader with an unbeatable record of successfully delivering on his political promises.

In 2011 Norbert Mao will be the next president of Uganda.

Norbert Mao, a centrist who focuses on democratic reform, peace-building and moderate politics as the centerpiece of his crusade, casts himself as a bridge between the north and south; he is best poised to bring national healing as the new president. His blessed double heritage of an Acholi father and a Munyankole mother places him across the divide that has defined the ethnic north-south mantra since 1986. A gifted orator in many languages, Mao speaks fluent Luganda English, Kiswahili and Luo. He also has a working knowledge of several other Ugandan languages including Lusoga, Runyankore.

Mao's candidature is also symbolic of the primacy of civilian rule over military dictatorship. Uganda still remains one of the few countries that have never had a peaceful handover of power. In Uganda, change of government has always come with guns blazing or guns drawn. In February 2011 DP President Norbert Mao will prove that government can and will be changed peacefully through the power of the ballot, without bloodshed.

President Mao is more than qualified for the highest political office with two decades of leadership experience and multiple degrees in law and development studies. He is an enrolled Advocate of the Ugandan Courts of Judicature. In 1998 he was honored among ten attorneys of distinction by the Uganda Law Society. In addition he is in a select group of those honored as a Yale World Fellow and proud graduate of the prestigious Yale Global Leadership Program which he attended in 2003/04.

He has a track record of successfully attaining his goals and being elected into leadership positions by those who recognize his ability to lead. The people of Uganda consistently keep him in office because Norbert Mao puts his words into action.

Norbert Mao is a born leader. His quest to serve others began when he was still in Magwa Primary School where he led the Debating Team. At Namilyango College he was again chosen as a true organizer and served as Head-Prefect before becoming President of the students’ guild at Makerere University. Norbert Mao’s election as the president of the students’ guild has been recorded as the hottest campaigns in the history of Makerere University. After his landslide victory he proved to be among the most vibrant guild presidents the university has ever had. Under his leadership, the students mounted a struggle against the now discredited Structural Adjustment Program.

From Makerere University at a very tender age in 1996, he contested for the Gulu municipality seat and beat a cabinet minister Betty Bigombe to become Member of Parliament, where he was successfully re-elected in 2001 for a second term. As a man of principle, he promised that he would serve only two terms in parliament and true to his word, in 2006 he did not compete even when he was still very popular.

After a decade in the national parliament, Mao did not seek re-election but instead heeded the call of his constituents to instead contest for the leadership of the Gulu district local government then comprising five parliamentary constituencies and a geographical area half the size of Belgium. Because of his proven track record of listening to the voters and acting in their best interests he won the election with about 80 percent of the vote.

Norbert Mao prefers the power of thoughtful action over misdirected military response, yet he has proven his strength and willingness to risk his life for the future of a more peaceful Uganda. In August 2006 Mao led a group of community leaders to the rebel hideout in Garamba, Congo, to meet LRA rebel leader Joseph Kony. He was one of the 10 accredited observers to the Uganda Peace Talks in Juba that were being mediated by the Government of Southern Sudan.

In 1999 Norbert Mao co-founded the Great Lakes Parliamentary Forum on Peace (Amani Forum) and also the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank. These two parliamentary networks with which he still remains in contact have greatly enhanced the contribution of parliamentarians in conflict resolution and development. Since the time over 10 years ago when he authored a minority report for the parliament calling for peace talks with the LRA Mao has been a strong advocate for a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Northern Uganda. He remains active as Chairman Emeritus of Amani Forum.

Norbert Mao is well known for his superior advocacy efforts and persuasive oratory skills and regularly speaks on these issues in high level national and international gatherings including the World Bank and the United Nations. He was a panelist on the popular radio talk show The Capital Gang that aired on Kampala's Capital FM station as well as a columnist for The New Vision newspaper in Uganda. His writings have featured in the in The Yale Herald, the Strait Times of Singapore, Yale Global, the Daily Times of Pakistan and The Monitor among others. He is often featured and quoted in various national and international media on issues of governance, peace, human rights and development.

DP President Norbert Mao is a charismatic leader with an unbeatable record of successfully delivering on his political promise and he is ready for a new beginning for Uganda.

His committment to leadership with integrity was born from humble roots. His father was a soldier who went back to school to study cereal chemistry upon leaving the army. Mao's family background instilled in him deeply rooted values and a strong work ethic.

Norbert Mao and his wife Naomi have two children, Nicholas and Nathan. They live in Kampala and Gulu.

It’s Time. Time for a New Beginning. A New Leader for Change. It's Time for Norbert Mao.