By Joseph Kiggundu
Nine candidates including four veteran journalists are among nine candidates shortlisted by Parliament for the position of Assistant Director, Media and Communication.
The shortlisted candidates include two former Daily Monitor journalists Emmanuel Gyezaho and Benon Herbert Oluka, former Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) and Umeme communications manager Peter Kauju, journalist and former NBS, UBC and Vision Group staffer Charles Odongtho.
The Parliamentary Commission advertised the position on August 12, and applications closed on September 1, 2026.
The other shortlisted candidates are Joseph Kaaya, Ramathan Mbago, Vincent Musoke, Bernadette Ndema nd Martin Ninsiima.
According to the shortlist signed by Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige, the candidates will receive invitation letters indicating the dates, venues and times for their respective interviews.
The candidates are:
Emmanuel Gyezaho
Joseph Kaaya
Peter Kauju
Ramathan Mbago
Vicent Musoke
Bernadette Ndema
Martin Ninsiima
Charles Odongtho
Benon Herbert Oluka
The recruitment comes against the backdrop of changes at the top of Parliament’s Communication and Public Affairs Directorate following the interdiction of Chris Obore.
Obore was interdicted in July following an Inspector General of Government directive targeting seven senior parliamentary officials facing corruption-related charges.
The officials were accused of offences including embezzlement, money laundering and causing financial loss.
Obore and six co-accused were subsequently granted bail by the High Court on September 9. Obore was granted Shs30 million cash bail and required to deposit his passport and a land title, while his sureties were bonded at Shs300 million each.
Following Obore’s arrest and interdiction, Parliament appointed veteran communications professional Grace Gidudu as Acting Director of Communication and Public Affairs.
Gidudu had been serving as Assistant Director for Media Relations and had responsibility for parliamentary media engagement, public information campaigns and communication between Parliament and the media.
Her appointment was announced as an acting arrangement pending a decision by the Parliamentary Commission on a substantive appointment.
The new recruitment for Assistant Director, Media and Communication therefore takes place as Gidudu oversees the directorate in an acting capacity.
Gyezaho brings extensive journalism and communication experience to the contest. He is a former Daily Monitor journalist who served as the newspaper’s senior parliamentary reporter, president of parliamentary reporters association before moving into communications management, including work with the European Union in Uganda.
Kauju has held senior communication roles at KCCA and Umeme, giving him experience in public-sector and corporate communication.
Odongtho is a journalist who has worked with Vision Group and UBC and was a founding moderator and host of NBS Television’s Frontline programme. He has also previously served as a spokesperson at the Office of the Prime Minister.
Oluka, another former Daily Monitor journalist, has worked in investigative journalism and currently serves as an editor at the Global Investigative Journalism Network.
Kaaya has been working at Parliament during the administration of former Speaker Anita Among, while the remaining candidates have also been shortlisted for consideration by the Parliamentary Commission.
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