The Minister for Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda has tipped Dr. Ruth Ssenyonyi on her first task as the new Board Chairperson of the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC).
“Dr. Ruth Ssenyonyi; you have come at a time when the Uganda AIDS Commission is on a restructuring journey as it was guided by the restructuring committee of Professor Tarsis Kabwegyere. This will certainly be your first task in office,” she said.
The Minister made the remarks today as she officiated at the handover ceremony of the outgoing UAC Board Chairperson,Dr. Eddie Mukooyo to the new Board Chairperson, Dr. Ssenyonyi. The function was held at the Office of the President in Kampala.
Hon. Babalanda also congratulated Dr. Ssenyonyi for catching the eye of the President and he appointed her the board chair.She also congratulated Dr. Nelson Musoba for his reappointment as UAC Director General whose contract was renewed by the President in a directive issued on January 16, 2024.
“As you are aware, the mandate of appointing the Board of the Uganda AIDS Commission is with the President. We are waiting for the members of the Board who will similarly be appointed by the President. When this happens, I shall communicate to you,” she said.
On the other hand, the Minister congratulated Dr. Mukooyo for the remarkable work and achievement he has displayed in steering the Uganda AIDS Commission for the period of two consecutive terms. She said his contribution will be remembered in the institution for years to come.
“The Uganda AIDS Commission is re-known worldwide for its fight against the deadly HIV and AIDS pandemic. All this global achievement however, has been obtained through high level cooperation between the leadership of the Office of the President and that of the Uganda AIDS Commission. You could not progress as Uganda AIDS Commission if you had weak supervisors,” the Minister said.
“I therefore appreciate the staff of my office and particularly the Secretary, Office of the President for supporting the proposals of the Institution and guiding management in its work. We have always defended your budget proposals. I am indeed happy that during my tenure as minister for the presidency your budget was increased.”
Hon. Babalanda also commended President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni for his continuous guidance and support towards UAC.
“The interest of His Excellency the President is to see to it that AIDS is put to an end in Uganda; of course, alongside the Goal of the United Nations of ending AIDS as a public health threat by the year 2030. I am happy that the scientists are making such good progress towards this goal,” she noted.
Hon. Babalanda further appealed to the UAC leadership to double their energy by extending the services of the Commission to the grassroot levels.
“We should boost our regional offices to take the fight to the communities who need it most, rather than concentrating only in Kampala. The war must be taken to where the enemy is and that is in the villages and upcountry areas. This is going to be our number one priority in the first 12 months of your tenure as chairperson.”
Deal with briefcase NGOs:
Hon. Babalanda implored the new board Chairperson to deal with the challenge of briefcase NGOs who have cheated unsuspecting citizens of their money in the name of giving support to the AIDS efforts.
“I implore you to work with your Director General, the Secretary Office of the President, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to ensure that the NGOs giving support to the AIDS efforts are well screened and that you have effective supervision and management of these NGOs.In future, I shall organise a meeting with the Minister of Health and that of Internal Affairs to discuss this issue at a wider scale.”
She also handed a copy of Prof. Kabwegyere restructuring report to Dr. Ssenyonyi to guide her in the identified gaps.
“I am happy that Professor Kabwegyere’s committee did a commendable job. If you follow their guidance, you will address all the gaps within the Uganda AIDS Commission, thus far.”
Furthermore, the Minister commended the Uganda AIDS Commission for being corrupt- free, saying that the commission has not been cited in any corruption scandal.
Dr. Nelson Musoba informed Hon. Babalanda that the UAC board is a supreme decision making body when it comes to the governance of the commission and does it on behalf of the President and the Presidency Minister.
“It provides policy guidance, strategic decisions in terms of coordinating the National HIV/AIDS response and as Secretariat we are able to provide technical support,”
Dr. Musoba also expressed gratitude to the President through the Minister for Presidency for appointing and giving UAC new leadership.
“Dr. Ruth Ssenyonyi is skilled and experienced and also has a strong network. We shall support you to take advantage of your network and skills to end HIV/AIDS by 20230.”
The outgoing UAC Chairperson, Dr. Eddie Mukooyo the President for having given him an opportunity to serve for the last six years.
“My role has been to protect the integrity, processes and procedures of UAC to ensure that the commission carries out its mandate. This role I have done very well and I would like to salute all the commissioners whom we worked to fulfil the mandate of UAC,” he said.
On her part, Dr. Ssenyonyi thanked the appointing authority for choosing her as the new Board Chairperson of UAC.
She said she is ready to work to fulfil the roles of UAC. The new board chair also called for team work among the UAC leadership so that they are able to deliver positive results.
“I’m sure Hon. Minister is right behind us and she is going to continue supporting us,” she said.
The Chairman Review Committee of UAC, Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere congratulated Dr. Ssenyonyi upon her appointment as UAC board chair.
He advised Dr. Ssenyonyi to ensure teamwork inorder to be able to achieve the goal of ending HIV/AIDS in Uganda by 2030.
The handover ceremony was also attended by the Managing Director of Uganda Printing and Publishing, Prof. Sudi Nangoli, the Managing Director of Uganda Security Printing Corporation (USPC), Mr. George Mugerwa, USPC Board Chair, Prof. Muhammad Ngoma, among others.
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