Ruhakana Rugunda
| Ruhakana Rugunda | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 November 1947 Kabale, Uganda |
| Residence | New York City, New York State, USA |
| Nationality | Ugandan |
| Ethnicity | Mukiga |
| Citizenship | Uganda |
| Education | Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia Master of Science in Public Health (MSc.Pub.Hlth) University of California, Berkely, Berkely, California, USA |
| Occupation | Physician, Politician & Diplomat |
| Years active | 1986 — present |
| Known for | Politics, Diplomacy |
| Home town | Kabale |
| Title | Minister for Information & Communication Technology |
Ruhakana Rugunda is the current Minister of Information & Communication Technology in the Ugandan Cabinet. He was appointed to that position on 27 May 2011. He replaced Aggrey Awori, who was dropped from the Cabinet.[1] Prior to that he served as Uganda's Permanent Representative at the United Nations, from January 2009 until May 2011.
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[edit] History
Rugunda was born in Kabale District on November 7, 1947. As a young boy, he would often sit and read the newspapers to his father Surumani Rugunda, and it is these experiences at a tender age that sparked his later interest in politics. Rugunda attended Kigezi High School and Busoga College where he served as Head Prefect, before joining Makerere University Medical School and later the University of Zambia where he qualified in Medicine. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley and obtained the degree of Master of Science in Public Health (MSc.Pub.Hlth)[2] Before joining Ugandan politics, Rugunda worked as Medical Officer in Zambia, as a physician at DC General Hospital in Washington DC, and at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.
[edit] Political career
While attending Makerere University in Uganda, Rugunda, commonly referred to as "Ndugu" (swahili for "brother") by friends, served as President of the National Union of Students of Uganda, a politically vibrant youth movement. As a young political activist, Rugunda was part of the Uganda People's Congress (UPC) and was said to be close to President Apollo Milton Obote. Rugunda was one of a few who had been seen by Obote as future leaders of the party and country. In one of the last interviews before his death, Obote lamented as to why the brilliant Rugunda had gotten himself entangled with Yoweri Museveni and the National Resistance Movement.
In 1985 he met with the leaders of the Ugandan National Resistance Movement (NRM) at the inn "Zum grünen Jäger" in Unterolberndorf, for a conspirative conference to elaborate a political programme for the liberated Uganda.
He has formerly held the following positions in the Ugandan Government:
- Minister of Internal Affairs
- Minister of Health
- Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Minister of Information
- Minister of Works, Transport & Communication
- Minister of Water, Lands & the Environment[3]
- Commissioner for Animal Industry, Game and Fisheries
- Chairman of NRM Electoral Commission
- Member of Parliament for Kabale Municipality and
- President of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).[4]
- He also sits on the Board of Directors and is a shareholder in the National Bank of Commerce, a commercial bank in Uganda.[5]
In July 2006, Rugunda led a Ugandan government negotiating team to Juba, Sudan to hold peace talks with the Lord's Resistance Army.
In January 2009, he was appointed Uganda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the same time, the position was elevated to a Cabinet Ministerial level in Uganda.[6] He twice served as the president of the Security Council in July 2009 and in October 2010 during Uganda's two-year stint on the Security Council from 2010 - 2011. In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was re-assigned to the Information & Communication Technology Ministry, as full Cabinet Minister.
[edit] Personal
Dr. Rugunda is married to Jocelyn Rugunda and enjoys reading, playing tennis and chess in his spare time.
[edit] Photos
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- 1947 births
- Living people
- People from Kabale District
- Makerere University alumni
- University of Zambia alumni
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- Ugandan physicians
- Ambassadors of Uganda
- Ugandan diplomats
- Presidents of the United Nations Security Council
- Permanent Representatives of Uganda to the United Nations
- Government ministers of Uganda
- National Resistance Movement politicians
