What Next!! Museveni Appoints Staunch NRM Cadres – Former NRM MPs As Members Of Electoral Commission

President Yoweri Museveni has retained Justice Simon Byabakama as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission. The President has also retained Hajjati Aisha Lubega as the Deputy Chairperson of the Commission.

The seven year term of the commissioners of the Electoral body had ended a few days ago.However, in a January 5th letter to the Speaker of Parliament, President Museveni appointed Robert Kasule Ssebunya, formerly Kyadondo East MP and Anthony Okello both NRM members to the board.

The new faces in the Commission are, Robert Kasule Sebunya, a former MP for Kyandondo North in the Ninth Parliament and later Nansana Municipality in the 10th Parliament. Robert Kasule Sebunya has been working as Head of the Delivery Unit at the Prime Minister’s Office.The other new face is Dr. Sallie Simba Kayunga, a Political Science Lecturer at Makerere University.

Museveni also appointed former Kioga county MP, Anthony Okello to join the commission.Museveni also reappointed former Kajara MP, Stephen Tashobya to the Commission. He will serve his last term on the commission at the end of the seven-year term. Tashobya is a lawyer by Profession.He was a member of the 8th and Ninth Parliament of Uganda. He rose to the limelight at Parliament especially when he served as the chair of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.

Also on the Commission is Pamela Etonu Okudi, who has been Acting Head of Administration at the Commission. She previously worked at the National Forestry Authority.The new Commission is expected to immediately continue the implementation of the Strategic Plan whose implementation began from FY 2022/23 – 2026/2027. It should take up the process of planning for and administration of the 2025/2026 General Elections.

The new members of the Electoral body now await approval of Parliament’s appointment committee, chaired by the Speaker of Parliament and her Deputy.The role of the commission is to engage in the organization of National, Parliamentary and Local Government elections, conduct civic education among other activities.

The outgoing commission recently highlighted a number of achievements it gained which included the “successful” conduction of the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2021