Julius Mucunguzi is the new spokesperson for the Independent Electoral Commission succeeding Jotham Taremwa who stepped down in 2020.
Mucunguzi’s appointment was announced yesterday in a statement from the EC.
“Following a rigorous selection process conducted last year, Mr. Mucunguzi Julius emerged as the top candidate for the position of Head of Public Relations at the Electoral Commission,” EC said.
Mucunguzi previously worked as a communication specialist at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) during Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda’s tenure before leaving for Ethiopia.
There is little doubt that Mucunguzi has the credentials to occupy the office. He is a vastly experienced communicator and journalist who has served at the Commonwealth Secretariat, worked at Daily Monitor and New Vision and taught at Makerere University.
Unlucky Bukenya
Yet the decision to appoint Mucunguzi ahead of Paul Bukenya has set tongues wagging, especially in media circles.
Bukenya joined EC in 2001 as a data entrant before rising to become deputy spokesperson in the late 2000s. He has been acting spokesperson for the last three and a half years.
Bukenya is cool headed and very receptive. He has distinguished himself as a good communicator, fluent in both English and Luganda.
It marks the second time, in 13 years, that the soft spoken Bukenya has been overlooked for the role.
He had been widely tipped to replace Willy Ochola in 2011. In fact, sources said he excelled at the oral and aptitude interviews. Yet just when he was preparing to sit the last set of interviews with other contestants, EC announced that it had tapped Jotham Taremwa for the role. Taremwa was working at Parliament as senior public relations officer.
After Taremwa left in 2020, it appeared all but certain that Bukenya would take it.
For three years, he acted as spokesperson, growing into the role.
Yesterday’s announcement of Mucunguzi’s appointment, made ironically by Bukenya, means he will have to wait longer. It could also mean he will never occupy the coveted role.
Bukenya now serves as the Principal Public Relations Officer at the EC.
