30 June 2016

Kazibwe’s candidature good for Uganda



With Dr Speciosa Wandira Kazibwe, a former vice president of Uganda receiving the backing of her former boss President Museveni in her bid to become the next chairperson of the African Union (AU), Uganda’s international image is going to improve.






It is on record that Uganda has been influential in helping war-torn countries such as South Sudan, Somalia and Central African Republic. The country has also recently been lauded for taking in a number of refugees who have been displaced by the conflicts in their countries. Explaining our legacy will therefore not be a hard task for Dr Kazibwe.






She is now the endorsed candidate of the Eastern African bloc to replace the outgoing AU chairperson, South Africa’s Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who announced earlier this year that she would not be seeking re-election after her tenure expires. This is where Uganda gets the opportunity to present a candidate, and with good mobilisation in African parliaments I am confident she can win.






She has got the experience needed for the job. Dr Kazibwe was the vice president of Uganda from 1994 to 2003, the first woman in Africa to hold the position. In August 2013, she was appointed by the United Nations’s Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, as United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/Aids in Africa. She has performed tremendously in all the positions of power she has held and I am confident she will do well as the AU chairperson.






It is also commendable that President Museveni supports Dr Kazibwe’s candidature. He has clearly stated in the local newspapers that, ‘Uganda is proud to present and support the candidacy of Dr Speciosa Kazibwe Wandira for the position of Chairperson, African Union Commission 2016 – 2020’.






Just to show the significance of this position and the respect Uganda is to have thereafter, the position of AU chairperson comes with both continental and other international obligations given that the chairperson is the continent’s topmost diplomat. The occupant and how he/she steers affairs of the commission has a direct impact on the lives of over a billion people from 54 African countries. Therefore, I am grateful that Dr Kazibwe has been nominated. Should she triumph, it will be a win for all Ugandans.






arthurmusinguzi1@gmail.com






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