A Cabinet session chaired by President Yoweri Museveni on Monday approved the appointment of former deputy chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Joseph Biribonwa, as the chairperson of the governing board of the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA).
Speaking to New Vision yesterday, Biribonwa pledged to streamline the policy at the country’s national identity card processing center.
“I am humbled to be considered by the appointing authority as a chairperson of NIRA. My work will be mainly to guide on policy implementation and I hope we can forge a way forward,” he said.
Biribonwa chairs several boards of both government parastatals and private institutions. He is the chairperson board of directors of the National Housing and Construction Company and chairperson of the board of directors of Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort Hotel.
Biribonwa, a renowned commercial farmer, is also the vice-chairperson of Victoria University. At NIRA, he will be deputized by former Woman MP for Kalangala and ex-Gayaza High School headteacher, Ruth Kavuma.
According to a statement issued yesterday by the Government spokesperson, Ofwono Opondo, other members on the NIRA board that Cabinet approved include Dr. Betty Kivumbi Nanyonga, Maj. Gen. Apollo Kasita Gowa, the director of the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, James Saaka, the executive director of the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), Bemanya Twebaze, the registrar general of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB), Dr. Chris Mukiza, the executive director of Uganda Bureau of Statistics and Dr. Paul Kintu, a representative of the internal affairs ministry.
Cabinet also approved the appointment of Dr. Johnson Nkuuhe, a senior livestock specialist, as the chairperson of the board of directors for the National Animal Genetic Resources Centre and Data Bank (NAGRC& DB).
Other members are Dr. Juliet Sentumbwe, Paul Ssekyewa, Dr. Herman Sekiwunga, Dr. James Oluka, Eng. Robert Ssenozi, Dr. Kabral Kibeedi, Ben Anyama, Loice Biira Bwambale, Teddy Alako, Dr. Richard Akule and Dr. Charles Lagu.
Ofwono yesterday said newly appointed ministers also attended Cabinet except for Kyaka South MP, Jackson Kafuuzi, whose appointment as Deputy Attorney General was stayed by Parliament over key legal requirements related to the job.