By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Minister of Minister of Gender, Labour and Social DevelopmentFrank Kagyigyi Tumwebaze and former Minister of Information Technology and Communications, from 6 June 2016 to 13 December 2019, has joined a couple of Ugandans to mourn fallen NITA-Uganda Executive Director James Saaka.
READ ALSO: Sad! Former NITA Boss James Saka Succumbs To COVID-19
James Saka succumbed yesterday Wednesday, October 9 2020, to COVID-19 at Mulago National Referral Hospital where he had been admitted for a number of days.
In his condolence message, Tumwebaze praised Saka that he was a hands-on professional who valued time and executed all the duties assigned to him through proficiency co-ordination with his team.
Tumwebaze says, “He was a hands-on professional. He executed all the tasks I gave him as his supervising minister. He worked well with his team NITAUganda.”
Tumwebaze adds that Saka supported developmental initiatives that have since boosted the ICT sector like the Government Citizens Interaction Center (GCIC Uganda), MyUG which Tumweaze says have Influenced the reduction of data costs in the sector.Â
READ ALSO: ICT Minister Nabakooba Shakes Up NITA-U, Appoints New Executive Director
“He supported my initiatives like the GCICUganda, MyUG & Influenced the reduction of data costs in the sector. I feel sad about his death!,” Tumwebaze tweeted.
He was a hands on professional. He executed all the tasks I gave him as his supervising minister . He worked well with his team @NITAUganda1. He supported my initiatives like the @GCICUganda #MyUG & Influenced the reduction of data costs in the sector.I feel sad about his death! https://t.co/v82dRAbrUC
— Frank K Tumwebaze,MP : Psalms 124 : 1-8 (@FrankTumwebazek) December 9, 2020
GCIC was established by the Government under the initiative of the Ministry of ICT & National Guidance as a primary contact centre for citizens to enhance the monitoring of service delivery and provide a channel for feedback and suggestions from citizens.
READ ALSO: Min. Tumwebaze Praises Outgoing NITA ED Saaka As He Officially Handsover Office To Dr Hatwib Mugasa
Saaka’s Notable Achievements
NITA-U and Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development (MoFPED) managed to roll out e-PAY, an electronic payment gateway that enables online payments for all public services under Saaka’s leadership.
NITA-U set up a tier 3 cloud data centre, the first of its kind in Uganda with the capacity to host all government applications and data. To date, there are over 473 applications & web services hosted in this Government facility.
Owing to the initiative of building a calculable Government Data Center that all entities can use, NITA-U saved the Government of Uganda UGX. trillion in costs that individual agencies would have used to build their own data centres.
In the last 10 years, still under Saaka’s leadership, NITA-U has created an enabling environment for ICT to flourish by ensuring that the right laws, regulations, and policies are in place. These include the Electronic Signatures Act, The Electronic Transactions Act & the Data Protection & Privacy Act.
Recently speaking of his fruitful tenure, Saaka Said “I am pleased to have served Uganda for the last 10 years in driving the digital revolution. I am honoured to pass on the baton to Dr Hawib Mugasa. We have accomplished much but there is still a lot that needs to be done. We need to lower the cost of the internet further to $20 per Mbps and I am confident the team I’m leaving behind will achieve this’’.
‘I am honoured and thankful that H.E President Museveni, the ICT Ministers I have had the joy to serve under and the NITA Board, who have given me an opportunity to play a significant role in changing lives of Ugandans for years to come, I want to thank the team with whom for 10 years we’ve worked tirelessly to digitize the country.”
May Your Soul Rest In Peace!
