Full Comparison: Who Is Robinah Nabbanja Replacing Ruhakana Rugunda As Uganda’s Prime Minister?

By Spy Uganda

Yesterday President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni released names of his new cabinet appointing Hon. Robinah Nabbanja as Uganda’s new Prime Minister a position that was held by Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda.

READ ALSO: Full Biography: Who Is Jesca Rose Epel Alupo-Newly Appointed Vice President Of Uganda

Due to our readers’ demand, TheSpy Uganda political desk has opted to draw a suitable comparison and analysis between Rugunda and Nabbanja who is now the head of government business in the Ugandan parliament.

Robinah Nabbanja

Robinah is a Ugandan teacher and politician. She is the former State Minister of Health for General Duties in the Ugandan cabinet, since 14 December 2019 and newly appointed Uganda Prime Minister for 2021-2016.

Background & Education

She was born in the present-day Kakumiro District, on 17 December 1969. She attended Nkooko Primary School. She then studied at St. Edward’s Secondary School Bukuumi, for both her O-Level and A-Level studies, obtaining both the Uganda Certificate of Education and the Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education from there.

Between 1990 and 2000, Nabbanja obtained certificates and diplomas in leadership, management and development studies, from various institutions, including Uganda Martyrs University, Uganda Management Institute, the Islamic University in Uganda and the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi. Her Bachelor of Democracy and Development Studies and her Master of Arts in Development Studies were both awarded by Uganda Martyrs University.

Career

From 1993 until 1996, Nabbanja was a school teacher at Uganda Martyrs Secondary School Kakumiro. She then served as District Councillor, representing Nkooko Sub-County, in what was Kibaale District at the time, from 1998 until 2001. She concurrently served as the Secretary for Health, Gender and Community Services for the district during that period.

She then spent the next ten years (2001–2010) serving as a Resident District Commissioner in the districts of Pallisa, Busia and Budaka. In 2011, she joined Uganda’s electoral politics by successfully contesting for Kibaale District Women Representative in the 9th Parliament (2011–2016). When Kakumiro District was created in 2016, she contested for the Women Constituency in the new district and won again.

In the cabinet reshuffle on 14 December 2019, Nabbanja was appointed State Minister of Health (General Duties), replacing Sarah Achieng Opendi who was named State Minister for Mineral Wealth. Following parliamentary approval, she was sworn into office on 13 January 2020.

Who Is Ndugu Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda?

Ruhakana Rugunda is a Ugandan physician and politician who has been Prime Minister of Uganda since 2014 and now in the new cabinet he is the special envoy for special duties from the office of the president.

He held a long series of cabinet posts under President Yoweri Museveni beginning in 1986. He served as Uganda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1996 and as Minister of Internal Affairs from 2003 to 2009. Subsequently, he was Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2009 to 2011 and Minister of Health from 2013 to 2014.

He was appointed as Prime Minister on 18 September 2014. He replaced Amama Mbabazi, who was dropped from the Cabinet.

Rugunda was born in Kabale District and as a young boy, he would often sit and read the newspapers to his father Surumani Rugunda, and it is these experiences at an early age that sparked his later interest in politics. Rugunda attended Kigezi High School and Busoga College Mwiri where he served as head prefect, before joining the Makerere University Medical School and later the University of Zambia where he studied medicine, graduating a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He later studied at the University of California, Berkeley and obtained a Master of Science in public health.

Before joining Ugandan politics, Rugunda worked as a medical officer in Zambia, as a physician at the District of Columbia General Hospital in Washington, D. C., and at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya.

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 (NUSU), a political 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. 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. Rugunda was one of a few who had been seen by Obote as future leaders of the party and country.

After Museveni took power in 1986, Ruganda held a long series of Cabinet posts: he was Minister of Health from 1986 to 1988, Minister of Works, Transport and Communication from 1988 to 1994, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1996, Minister of Information from 1996 to 1998, Minister at the Presidency from 1998 to 2001, Minister of Water, Lands and Environment from 2001 to 2003, and Minister of Internal Affairs from 2003 to 2009.

He also served as Chairman of the NRM Electoral Commission, as Member of Parliament for Kabale Municipality, and as President of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). In July 2006, Rugunda led a Ugandan government negotiating team to Juba to hold peace talks with the Lord’s Resistance Army.

In January 2009, he was appointed as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the same time, the position was elevated to the Cabinet Ministerial level in Uganda. 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.

In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was instead appointed as Minister of Information and Communication Technology. In May 2013, he was moved to the post of Minister of Health, replacing Christine Ondoa, who became an advisor to the President of Uganda on public health matters.

Prime Ministers Of Uganda Since 1962

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth-Death)	Term of office			Political party	Head(s) of state
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Milton Obote (1925–2005)	9 October 1962	9 October 1963	1 year, 0 days	Uganda People’s Congress	Elizabeth II
			9 October 1963	2 March 1966	2 years, 144 days		Mutesa
			2 March 1966	15 April 1966	44 days		Himself
Post abolished (15 April 1966 – 18 December 1980)
2		Otema Allimadi (1929–2001)	18 December 1980	27 July 1985 (deposed.)	4 years, 221 days	Uganda People’s Congress	Obote
3		Paulo Muwanga (1921–1991)	1 August 1985	25 August 1985	24 days	Independent	Okello
4		Abraham Waligo (1928–2000)	25 August 1985	26 January 1986 (deposed.)	154 days
5		Samson Kisekka (1912–1999)	30 January 1986	22 January 1991	4 years, 357 days	National Resistance Movement	Museveni
6		George Cosmas Adyebo (1947–2000)	22 January 1991	18 November 1994	3 years, 300 days
7		Kintu Musoke (1938–)	18 November 1994	5 April 1999	4 years, 138 days
8		Apollo Nsibambi (1940–2019)	5 April 1999	24 May 2011	12 years, 49 days
9		Amama Mbabazi (1949–)	24 May 2011	18 September 2014	3 years, 117 days
10		Ruhakana Rugunda (1947–)	18 September 2014	Since 2014-2021	6 years, 264 days

And now current Rt.Hon.Robina Nabbanja appointed yesterday June, 8 2021