By Joseph Kiggundu
Arinaitwe Rugyendo, the former directors of Red peper Publications Ltd has been appointed the principal press secretary of the Speaker of the 12th Parliament, JacobOboth, replacing Joseph Sabiti.
Rugyendo has since confirmed the appointment saying he has already picked his letter of appointment.
“Yes, I can confirm I have been appointed. I thank God for this opportunity to serve my country. I believe I have the capability to complement the Speaker’s mission to the people of Parliament, which is integrity, accountability and in particular, I want to use my knowledge to support the mission of the 12th Parliament,” he said.
Rugyendo said he has many colleagues in the media he will work with to support the speakership.
In a post on social media platform X on Saturday, he spoke of the “overwhelming” messages he had received following news of his appointment.
“I thank the parliamentary commission that appointed me, the panel that found me fitting, and the country that has welcomed me across social media and radio,” he wrote.
“I pledge diligence, hard work, focus, and total loyalty to the Speaker, and to service, leadership, and teamwork; building an Office of the Speaker that communicates for the greater good: transparent, integrity, free of corruption and abuse, feeding a tenfold growth strategy that elevates Uganda in the community of nations.
“To the media fraternity, we shall set the agenda together. To online media specifically, we shall use the social shaping of technology to co-create and co-produce.”
Rugyendo also thanked his family “for the unwavering support and resilience”.
Who is Rugyendo?
Rugyendo was raised by a single mother who worked as a primary school teacher after his father passed away when he was an infant.
He grew up amid the political and economic hardships of early 1980s Uganda. He studied Political Science and Sociology at Makerere University and earned a Master of Science in Marketing from the University of Salford in the UK.
He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Journalism and Communication at Makerere University, successfully defending his thesis on the digital evolution of ePapers in early 2026.
Today, Rugyendo is a journalist, media entrepreneur, author, and STEM educator.
He began his media career working in various capacities, including cub reporter, bureau chief, and managing editor for established outlets like the Daily Monitor. Early in his career, he was among the co-founders of a Ugandan tabloid newspaper the Red Pepper in 2001.
Today, he is the managing editor of ResearchFunds News, a research communication news website that uses a “newsification” model — combining academic rigor with journalistic flair to simplify complex scientific research for wider audiences.