The Minister of ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, has revealed that his earliest ambition was to join the Catholic priesthood before eventually pursuing medicine and later entering politics.
Speaking to Mildred Tuhaise on NBS TV’s People and Power, Baryomunsi described himself as a consistently high-performing pupil throughout his school years.
“During my seven years in primary school, no one beat me; I was always number one,” he said.
He explained that after completing Primary Seven with strong results, he was admitted to several secondary schools and also successfully interviewed for a seminary school.
Coming from a devout Catholic family, he said the priesthood felt like a natural path.
“We were 45 pupils competing for the seminary school, and only five of us from my area were admitted. The aspiration was to enter the priesthood,” he said.
Baryomunsi spent six years in the seminary and, upon completing Senior Six, was expected to proceed to a major seminary in Masaka.
However, after what he described as deep personal reflection, he decided not to continue with seminary life.
He later joined Makerere University, where he pursued a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, graduating in 1995. He characterised medical school as demanding and intense.
“Medical school was intense training for five years. It doesn’t give you space to be lazy or waste time. Back then, one wouldn’t even have time to socialize or participate in university politics,” he said.
Baryomunsi noted that teaching methods have since evolved but emphasized that medical training during his time required total dedication and discipline.
He has represented Kinkizi County East in Kanungu District in Parliament since 2006 on the ticket of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Uganda’s ruling party.
Over the years, he has held several ministerial portfolios, including Information, ICT and National Guidance.
He expressed gratitude to his constituents for re-electing him in the recently concluded January 15, 2026 general elections.
“I want to thank the people for voting for me again. I have represented them since 2006, so I am sure they are happy with my services,” he said.
However, Baryomunsi acknowledged that the 2026 elections were marked by significant financial influence. He said large sums of money were allegedly injected into the race towards the end of campaigns, with some voters reportedly being offered up to Shs100,000.
“There was a lot of money used in this election. As you spend time in politics, you attract enemies that you don’t even know. There were many who supported my opponents and attempted to uproot me,” he said.
He also addressed concerns about the conduct of elections for the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the NRM, describing the process as poorly organized.
“The CEC election was poorly organized. There was an effort to get rid of those who were in CEC. The people who organized the elections did a bad job to the extent that they allowed non-delegates to access the conference,” he said.
Baryomunsi added that he was not overly concerned about losing a position on the party’s top organ.
“The CEC position is not something I would invest billions of shillings in. Why would I put such an amount of money into CEC? I don’t lose sleep because I am not a member of CEC,” he said.