The most influential” persons in Uganda 2010

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The Kampala Dispatch came together as an organization to name who we think were the most “influential” persons in Uganda 2010. We would like to stress that this was not a popularity contest but a critical look at whom we thought had the most influence on both the news cycle and Ugandan society. It is not an original idea. Time magazine has been naming the most influential persons in the world for decades (Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg won for 2010). We just wanted to try it Uganda style.
Perhaps you disagree with our choices or the order we decided upon. We encourage you to write to us and tell us you opinion. Disagreement and discourse are the keystones of a free society.


#1 IGP Kale Kayihura
In his capacity as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Major General Kale Kayihura has had the greatest influenc on the happenings in the country with the aim of ensuring peace and security in the country.
Kayihura played a major role in the apprehension of the terrorists that planted bombs in Kampala on June 11 and killed over 70 people. His force also untiringly hunted for the kidnappers and murderers of Kham Kakama until they were arrested.
The kidnappers of Godfrey Kirumira’s grandchild were also apprehended by police under Kayihura’s command before they could harm the innocent child. His forces also managed to net the car thieves who had killed over five people and stole 14 cars.
Although he is still a serving officer in the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and seen by the opposition as being partisan, Kayihura has tried to work for the interests of all Ugandans despite their political allegiances. However, his forces have on several occasions clashed with opposition politicians in the execution of their duties.
He has issued several directives to some of the errant police officers to exercise restraint when dealing with unarmed members of public. He warned officers who shoot with live bullets at unarmed people that they will be prosecuted.
Kayihura has generally put forward a picture of a policeman cum soldier cum lawyer who, despite his political inclination, endeavours to serve the nation as a whole. This can be seen in the different incidents, some of them in remote up-country areas, where he has gone in person to listen to the people and try to give answers to their grievances.
This, among many other factors, has made him the favourite influential personality of the year 2010.


#2 Eng. Dr. Badru Kiggundu
Aside from the tragic terrorist bombings of July 11, the biggest news story of the year was the runup to the 2011 election. And at the centre of the preparations for the elections was Electoral Commission Chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu.
A US educated engineer, Kiggundu has been the chairman of the commission since 2002. And since the multi-party system was adopted, his tenureship has come under increasing scrutiny and criticism from opposition parties and international representatives.
Numerous protests have been staged outside the EC offices on Jinja Road this year and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized the commission, saying that Kiggundu and his colleagues should step down and a less partisan group be appointed.
Observers have criticized the EC for not releasing the final voters’ register and recently news emerged that Ugandans will not be obliged to present a voters card upon voting. All these moves have raised questions around Uganda whether they are opening the door to rigging.
But through this storm of criticism, Kiggundu has maintained his position and his assertion that the commission is prepared to stage a successful election in 2011.
More than anything else, the actions of Kiggundu and his colleagues in 2010 will determine whether or not Uganda stages a clean election come February. Whichever way the elections pan out, many will place the blame or praise right on the EC and more specifically on Kiggundu himself.

#3 President Yoweri Museveni
As the Head of State, President Yoweri Museveni could as well have been the most influential personality of the year 2010. However, the President has tried to keep a distance from some of the hottest issues this year, leaving his lieutenants to either make or break themselves in the process.
His hands-off approach to the primaries led to alleged rigging and bribing but it also led to many ministers and “favourites” being defeated in the primaries.
In another incident, the President refused to get entangled in the CHOGM mess, advising those who wanted to hide behind his name to go carry their own cross. Museveni also failed to prevail upon some of his NRM members who lost in the party primaries and decided to stand as independents.
However, Museveni prevailed upon the oil companies that were trying to defraud Uganda of its money accrued from oil-related transactions and has managed to keep his NRM house in order despite the unending bickering therein.
President Museveni also handed the country a bonus when he, knowingly or unknowingly, came up with a hit “You want another Rap” which is currently rocking the Ugandan airwaves and other entertainment places.
On the international scene, he has continued with his fight against Al-shabaab in Somalia and vowed to hunt the terrorist wherever they are for the havoc they caused in Kampala on July 11.

#4 Dr. Kizza Besigye
The leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and presidential flag-bearer for the Inter Party Cooperation (IPC) in next year’s presidential elections, Dr. Warren Kizza Besigye has been very active on the political scene in preparation for 2011 elections. Besigye has been on several occasions beaten and abused by security personnel while going about his duties. In one incident, he was beaten by Kiboko squad men at Clocktower where he and other IPC leaders wanted to hold a political rally.
He has had running battles with the Police, especially in his call for the disbandment of the Electoral Commission (EC) which he thinks is partisan and incapable of holding a free and fair election next year.
Although his FDC party has been accused by some of its members of sidelining Baganda and filling all top positions with other tribes, Besigye has a formidable following in Central Buganda and other parts of the country. His alliance with the former Katikkiro of Buganda Mulwanyammuli Ssemwogerere has given him an added advantage in pursuit of the top-most office in the country.
He has warned that if not properly handled, the elections next year could lead to the Kenya-typepost- election violence which rocked that country after the 2007 elections. To avert this, Besigye has called for the institution of meaningful electoral reforms. He is considered the presidents top contender in the upcoming elections.

#5 Syda Bbumba
Appointed in early 2009, Syda Bbumba is Uganda’s first female Minister of Finance. She came in at a time when the vagaries of the global economic downturn were showing face in the country, with rising fuel and food prices. Her fiscal policies in the two national budgets she has presented so far have been aimed at resuscitating the economy.
She once said that her leadership at the ministry at that particularly difficult time was a pleasant challenge and a test of her competence. Although she was not a famous name in the financial circles before becoming Finance Minister, she is referred to by pundits as a No Push-Over and a highly disciplined character with good business acumen.
In November, Bbumba was named African Finance Minister of the Year at the African Bankers Awards 2010.

#6 RT. Hon. Edward Ssekandi
As Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of Uganda, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi chairs the Parliamentary Commission, the Committee on Appointments and the Business Committee in Parliament.
Although he is a member of the ruling NRM Party, Ssekandi tried to depict a non-partisan character in the house, But accusations are also rife from the opposition saying that the speaker “sat” on some of the issues that were not very friendly to the NRM. Most prominent among these was the debate on the CHOGM report which the speaker kept on postponing.
However, he denies ever taking sides in parliament. “Bias is corruption. If you are biased, then your integrity is corrupted. I don’t take that and can never do that, I swear,” he said in one interview.
The speaker chaired most of all sittings of the first multi-party parliament and ensured that the rules of procedure were observed.
Apart from the legislative roles, the speaker represented parliament in its corporate relations both regionally and internationally.

#7 MP David Bahati
Late in 2009, a Member of Parliament, David Bahati presented the Anti- Homosexual Bill as a Private Members bill which would classify “aggravated homosexuality” as a capital offence.
The bill would punish people guilty of having gay sex with a minor, a disabled person or infects another person with HIV through homosexual intercourse with the death penalty. Other offences include promoting homosexuality, aiding and abetting homosexuality and keeping a house “for purposes of homosexuality”. Bahati claims his bill would protect children, youths and the “traditional family”.
While the controversy surrounding the bill began in 2009, it was not until 2010 that the bill and its author made worldwide headlines. In January, Ugandan priest Martin Ssempa gave his now infamous “Eat da Poo Poo” speech, a tasteless tirade against the gay lifestyle where he showed pornographic images to the press and people present.
The video has now been viewed over 3.6 million times on YouTube. And a musical remix of the video has been viewed almost one million times.
Then in October, Rolling Stone newspaper published “100 Pictures of Uganda’s Top Homos Leak” on its front page. The paper was later forced to halt publication of such articles by a court.
All of these actions were spawned by the actions of one man, David Bahati. Homosexuality is already illegal in Uganda. But by introducing his bill and suggesting “death” as an appropriate action against homosexuality, Bahati has spurned a misguided hatred in the Ugandan population based on lies and ignorance on the subject and endangered the lives and safety of Uganda’s gay community. His influence is unquestioned but so is his bigotry.

#8 Al Shabaab
It was slated to be the football match of the year. Netherlands was taking on Spain in the final of the first World Cup to be staged on African soil. But before the game ended, over 70 Kampalans were killed by twin bombings at Kyandondo Rugby Club and the Ethiopian Village.
The mastermind behind these attacks was Al Shabaab, a loosely-formed Ismamist terrorist organization based in Somalia fighting to install Sharia Law throughout the war-torn country.
The purported leader of the group is one Sheikh Mukhtar Abu Zubayr. Now holding most of the southern and central parts of the country, the group is fighting for control of the Capital city of Mogadishu. But standing in their way are 8,000 UPDF soldiers.
Soon after the attack, President Museveni proclaimed that Uganda will defeat Al Shabaab and “sweep them out of Africa.”
Since the bombings, all Ugandans must go through security checks upon entering public buildings, shops and restaurants. This is expected to continue for some time to come as recent warning of another possible attack have emerged.

#9 Ingrid Turinawe
She is the national chairperson of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Women League, and the chairperson of ‘Women for Peace’ under the Inter- Party Cooperation (IPC).
Their intention was to organize a series of protest activities countrywide to force the disbandment of the Electoral
Commission which they think is partisan and will not be able to conduct a free and fair election come 2011.
In January this year, Turinawe hit the headlines after leading a group of women in an impromptu demonstration towards the Electoral Commission offices calling for the resignation of the EC boss Badru Kiggundu.
They were met with sticks and guns from the police and in the end 35 women were arrested, but not without being beaten and undressed in an attempt to humiliate them. The group has since staged several demonstrations across the country.
Later in June she led a another group of women disguised as guests to Parliament and demonstrated in front of the Parliamentary building before Police dispersed them, rounding up some of them including her and taken for questioning.
Before coming to the front-line, she was the speaker for Rukungiri District Council for eight years from where she stood for Member of Parliament, but as she says, her victory was stolen through rigging.
“Secrecy is our strength. If you inform them (Police) about your impending activities, they will block you before you start, they provide insecurity instead of security,” Ingrid said referring to why she defies Police orders to tell what activities her group is intending to do.

#10 Justice John Bosco Katutsi
Justice Katutsi has become to be known as a no-nonsense man as the head of the Anti-Corruption Court. Among the big names he has sent to the coolers is former ISO chief for economic monitoring Teddy Sseezi Cheeye whom he gave a 10-year sentence for abuse of Global Fund money which was meant to fight AIDS and Malaria.
This year again, he sent another government official, Engineer Samson Bagonza, to prison for misappropriation of CHOGM funds which led to a loss of 1.6 billion shillings of public funds. As Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Works, Bagonza authorized road works without proper procurement procedure.
Reading his judgement, Justice Katutsi said that “It did not require a professional Engineer to know that regulations were not meant to be idle but to be followed to the letter. The type of impunity as exhibited by the convict has created grave disquiet in our country so much so that something in the nature of deterrence is called for.”
He added that “ This court is tired of trying tilapias when the crocodiles are left swimming,” referring to the big shots who have been implicated in the CHOGM mess but have not been arrested due to different reasons. For many Ugandans sick of the scourge of corruption in the country, these words were music to their ears. Hopefully a few “crocodiles” will have their day in court come 2011.
What do you think of our list?