New PPS: Dr Kenneth Omona Is a Result Oriented Person
In recent times, no political or public officer has been appointed and is overwhelmingly welcomed by people of all walks of life and all shades of opinion like the new Principal Private Secretary to the
President Dr. Kenneth Olusegun Omona.
In the entire new cabinet and government reshuffle, whether on radio and TV talk shows or phone-in programs, on electronic and social media, almost everybody was happy with the appointment of Dr. Omona.
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NRM historicals and veterans, senior and junior cadres and mobilizers and even members of the Opposition including DP President General Norbert Mao and former Secretary General Dr. Lulume Bayiga, could castigate others but not Omona whom they referred to as a loyalist to the President and the system.
The appointment of Dr. Omona found him in Acholi sub-region, where he had been deployed for 10 days as a Regional Supervisor, overseeing mobilization of the people to register as voters by Independent
Electoral Commission.
Dr. Omona started working in the new posting on the Christmas New Year holiday when he featured when the President was meeting the former Premier Amama Mbabazi at Kisozi farm in Maddu Sub County, Gomba District on eve of New Year Day. He was handed over the office on Friday, January 3rd, 2020.
Dr. Omona can be called a “Kadogo” at the final stage of the liberation of Uganda by the National Resistance Movement/Army (NRM/NRA). Unlike the “Kadogos” (young soldiers) of Luwero Triangle who had lost parents in the five-year people’s protracted war, Omona volunteered as an “LDU” when the NRA reached his home Kaberamaido district in pursuing the fleeing Uganda National Liberation Army (UNLA) in Teso sub-region, North Eastern Uganda.
Dr. Omona is a son of now Kaberamaido Town Council) a multi-ethnic place in Uganda on 16th of August 1974 to Acholi parents with four siblings Omona has a very high sense of responsibility and self-esteem.
Although Kaberamaido is in the Teso sub-region, it is culturally autonomous as Kumam ethnicity. It pioneered in the recruitment of FRONASA rebels under now-President Yoweri Museveni in seventies in
fighting Idi Amin dictatorship and no wonder, Dr. Omona is the third from the sub-region as PPS as one of his predecessors Mary Amajo, now Senior Presidential Advisor, was from the same region replacing Grace Akello, again from the same region.
Grace Akello was the Chairperson of Presidential Commission on Teso which ended the insurgency waged by Uganda People’s Army (UPA) rebels led by Peter Otai, who has just passed on in London aging 81 years, a former Minister of State for Defence under Obote ll.
Today, Dr. Omona heads the Private Office and Household of H.E the President as the Principal Private Secretary (PPS) who is the overall coordinator, supervisor, and manager of the related staff and functional units. All heads of related units, as well as private secretaries, report to the PPS.
“I have come to work with you individually, departmentally and institutionally. Let us build our strength towards working for the development of Uganda,” he said while calling on the staff of State House to work diligently and maintain at all times the positive image of the country by fulfilling all their tasks.
Dr. Omona thanked President Museveni for giving him the opportunity to serve the Presidency and the country and congratulated the outgoing PPS for her successful tour of duty.
“I want to give assurances that I have come to work with all of you in both your strengths and weaknesses for the achievements of all of us leveraging on the strength of all of us. This institution has got high responsibilities and requires teamwork and a high level of coordination and discipline to build synergy. We must keep re-examining the tasks we have joyfully and painfully to uphold the values of the institution of the Presidency,” he said.
Omona, a former Member of Parliament for Kaberamaido County, has until now been the NRM Deputy Treasurer. He is the sixth PPS after Sserwanga Lwanga, Amelia Kyambadde, Grace Akello, Mary Amajo, and Molly Kamukama.
The outgoing PPS, Ms. Molly Kamukama, said she was glad she is handing over the office to Dr. Omona who is a staunch cadre with whom she was recruited from the same university.
“I am glad that a cadre is replacing me to serve the President. I want to thank the President who saw it fit to appoint me to oversee the economy of Uganda. As a Minister, I will continue to serve our country better. Such statements from the two leaders portray signs of success.
The Writer is a Communication Assistant At Government Citizen Interaction Centre (GCIC), Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.
