Even when it wasn’t foreseen by a lot of people, Dr Edward Ddamulira Ssengonzi’s elevation over the weekend (from Under Secretary) to the position of Clerk to Parliament corroborated the fact that ascendance to such apex public service positions takes deliberate preparation.
This is so because Dr. Ssengonzi’s ascendance to the vastly coveted position was preceded by decades of deliberate mentoring by his foster dad Gen YK Museveni.
Having his lost dad Vitali Ddamulira (a wealthy Muganda who turned his back on DP to embrace and generously fund Gen YK Museveni’s NRM) in the early 1980s, Dr. Ssengonzi grew up under Museveni’s care and lived much of his post-1986 childhood in State House. Gen Museveni paid for his entire education and deliberately prepared him for future public service roles.
Ssengonzi, whose late dad was one of the richest men in Greater Luwero, hails from Nakaseke and was peers with Theodore Ssekikubo, another foster son Gen Museveni raised. After completing University, Dr. Ssengonzi (who holds an academic PhD, not mere honorary) worked for Museveni as Private Secretary on the welfare desk inside State House.
It was in that capacity that he coordinated and oversaw the enrolment of thousands of NRA war-affected children onto the State House Scholarship list. These would have their primary to university education funded by Museveni’s State House under the overall coordination of the Comptroller.
Some of the beneficiaries would be the bright but genuinely needy children from financially vulnerable families. Indeed, it was during Dr. Ssengonzi’s days of service at the welfare desk that current Speaker Oboth-Oboth was identified as needy and made to benefit from that same State House intervention. That’s how Uganda’s future Speaker had his law education and training at the prestigious Makerere Law School sponsored by State House. And it was all personally coordinated by Dr. Ssengonzi.
Earlier on, Ssengonzi had pursued his A’level studies at St. Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) where he shared a room with Cedric Babu Ndilima (RIP) and Uganda’s future CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
They were four and naturally, those to share accommodation with Uganda’s first son had to be chosen carefully and very deliberately. This shows the extent to which Dr. Ssengonzi has always had close proximity to power during Museveni’s time. And clearly, the timing of his ascendance to such a high public service position accelerates the completion of the transition of authority from the YK Museveni to the Muhoozi Kainerugaba generation.
From the State House welfare department assignments, which he executed as he pursued graduate studies, Dr. Ssengonzi joined mainstream public service and among other places worked at the Wandegeya-based Ministry of Health as Principal Administrative Secretary (PAS) under Dr. Asuman Lukwago as his PS.
Thereafter, he was transferred to other Ministries before ending up at the Finance Ministry where he replaced the legendary Betty Katsimbazi as the Under Secretary. Actually, before bowing out, Katsimbazi took several months preparing Ssengonzi who had been serving under her.
Being Under Secretary at Finance Ministry enabled Dr. Ssengonzi to deepen his exposure to and appreciation of public service work because, while there he has been serving not just as Under Secretary but also the Accounting Officer.
This exactly is the same work he will be doing at Parliament as Clerk. It’s a bigger docket and a busier one but there is no doubt that Ssengonzi, hardly in his early 50s, has what it takes to meet the moment.
Power has also got to be understood in terms of who you know and you are known to. As a Muganda, Dr. Ssengonzi is known and well appreciated at Mengo, the seat of power in Buganda Kingdom. He doesn’t need an appointment to see or talk to Charles Peter Mayiga, arguably one of the Kingdom’s most consequential Katikkiros.
Notwithstanding his busy schedule, Mayiga has been to Dr. Ssengonzi’s home countless times, presiding over happy moments and other key milestones in the new Clerk’s life. The same goes for the President Gen YK Museveni who Dr. Ssengonzi has hosted at his home on several occasions.
Yet Dr. Ssengonzi isn’t the only Vitali sibling who has loyally served the agenda of Gen YK Museveni in very consequential positions inside government. Doctor’s elder brother, a General in the UPDF, holds one of the most sensitive Director positions inside SFC, which ordinarily is charged with protecting the President, First Family members and all sensitive installations of the country.
Like has been the case with his young brother Ssengonzi, the General has also grown through the ranks in the military under the deliberate mentoring of his Commander-in-Chief who is none other than Gen YK Museveni.
As Dr. Ssengonzi joins Parliament, members of the Parliamentary Commission are justifiably enthused by the fact that the man coming to join them as the new Clerk to Parliament is coming with plenty of value addition, including the vast experience he possesses, the great understanding of how government works, team playing skills and delegation of work-and above all an elaborate network of consequential contacts in all the places that matter.
Dr. Ssengonzi is also a builder of teams and believes in empowering and capacitating his staff to do their work as mandated under the law. He also has no record of corruption from all the different Ministries where he has served before. He also understands politics pretty well having been mentored and inspired by the very best in his public service career.
The appointing authority is also hopeful that the award-winning Dr. Ssengonzi won’t only maintain the effective coordination between the legislature and the executive, as was set in motion by his predecessors including the outgoing Adolf Mwesige, but will also be able to improve on the same.
Last but not least, being naturally a sociable person who freely interacts with people of all walks of life, Dr. Ssengonzi’s latest posting has created euphoria of some sort among his Baganda co-ethnics.
Its clear many of them have high expectations in him as a relatively young bureaucrat hailing from Nakaseke, which is in the heart of Kabaka’s Bulemezi County (Essaaza lye Bulemezi). Making him Clerk to Parliament has, in some circles, diminished the sense of alienation from Museveni’s post-2026 government, which some of Dr. Ssengonzi’s Baganda co-ethnics have been developing lately.
OTHER DEPLOYMENTS:
Besides Ssengonzi, the President retained or redeployed other PSs and accounting officers including Dr. Diana Atwine at MoH, Lucy Nakyobe Mbonye, Dr. Mary T Wenene, Jane Mwesigwa Kyarisima, Jane Barekye, Gloria Asio Omaswa as his PPS, Yunnus Kakande, Eng Irene P Batebe, Lt Gen Joseph Musanyufu, Robert Kasande, Dr. Kedrace Rwankore Turyagyenda, Dr. Ramathan Goobi as PSST, Pius Perry Biribonwoha, Dr. Asuman Lukwago, Ketty Lamaro and Agnes Kainza Nzogi at ODPP.
Tourism PS Doreen Katusiime has been redeployed to replace Pius Bigirimana as Secretary to the Judiciary. The following PSs were equally transferred to new Ministries: Vincent Bagiire Waisswa to tourism, Catherine Birakwate Musingwire to Gender Ministry, Benjamin Kumumanya from local government to JSC, Dunstan Balaba to MLOG, Lynette Bagonza, Alex Kakooza from OPM to Trade, Julius Victor Nkeramihigo as PS Lands, Dr. Aminah Zawedde from ICT to OPM as PS in charge of coordination (replacing Nkeramihigo), Aggrey David Kibenge from Gender to VP’s Office as PPS and Rosette Byengoma from Defense to the position of SPA on defense procurements.
The following are newly appointed to PS positions: Dr. Emmanuel Freddie Mugunga as PS OPM, Prof Stephen Akandwanaho ICT, Aggrey Wunyi MEACA, Mark Sseremba Public Service, Kenneth Akiri MWE, Barbra Namugambe MAAIF, Charles Ssentongo MoFA, Maureen Kasande IGG, Eng Flavia Guto Bwire Works, Edith Buturo Defense, Sheeba Kyobutungi Rujoki Ministry of STI and Betty Mutesa Cwinya-ai PSC.
The following PSs have been retired from public service: Adolf Mwesige Kasaija, Gen David Kasura, Dr. Rose Nassali Lukwago, Alex B Okello, Dorcus Okalany, Bageya Waiswa, Edith Nsaja Mwanje, Dr. Alfred Okidi, Dr. John Geoffrey Mbabazi, Rose N Kafeero and Pius Bigirimana. Défense’s Rosette Byengoma had for sometime been pleading with the appointing authority to be let go on the account of frail health.
Dorcus Okalany has equally not been very well for sometime. Hajji Yunnus Kakande and Lucy Nakyobe will have to work out a process to fill the vacuum which Ssengonzi and Mugunga’s elevation to PS positions has created at the Finance and Lands Ministries respectively where they have been serving as Under Secretaries. The same will have to be improvised at Police where Aggrey Wunyi has been serving as accounting officer. At Defense, Buturo has been elevated to PS, taking on roles which she already has been shouldering under Byengoma’s mentorship. There too, a new Under Secretary will have to be deployed to fill her former position.
