In a significant move, President Yoweri Museveni has reappointed Dr. Eng. Badiru Kiggundu, a figure synonymous with Uganda’s electoral landscape, to helm the oversight of the contentious Lubowa Hospital Project.
Dr. Kiggundu, who notably served as the Chairman of Uganda’s Electoral Commission for an extended period of 14 years from 2002 to 2016, has transitioned from his electoral duties to take on a critical role in the nation’s infrastructure development.
His tenure at the Electoral Commission was marked by controversy, with prominent opposition figure Dr. Kiiza Besigye repeatedly accusing him of electoral malpractices aimed at maintaining President Museveni’s tenure through manipulated election outcomes in the 2006, 2011, and 2016 polls.
These accusations, which Kiggundu has always refuted, led Besigye to ultimately withdraw from electoral contention, criticizing the process as a mere ceremonial endorsement of Museveni’s rule.
Post his electoral commission service, President Museveni leveraged Kiggundu’s engineering acumen for national development projects, notably assigning him the leadership of the presidential select committee responsible for the Mega Karuma and Isimba Hydro power projects. Under his guidance, the Isimba project was successfully completed in 2019, with the Karuma Dam also nearing its commissioning phase.
The latest assignment for Kiggundu comes amidst ongoing concerns over the Lubowa Hospital project. Despite substantial financial commitments and restricted site access since its inception in 2019, the project has seen limited progress.
Previous efforts to assess the construction’s advancement have encountered significant pushback, including armed resistance, notably during attempts by the Minister of Health, the parliamentary health committee, and an inquiry led by the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa’s announcement of Kiggundu’s appointment has reignited discussions on the project’s future. With Kiggundu’s proven track record in project oversight, there is cautious optimism that his involvement may steer the Lubowa Hospital project towards completion, addressing the controversies and challenges that have plagued it thus far.
The appointment underscores President Museveni’s confidence in Kiggundu’s capabilities, hoping to replicate the successes of the Isimba and Karuma projects in resolving the longstanding issues surrounding the Lubowa Hospital initiative.
