We Chose Nyombi Because of His Politics And Technical Skills- Says Minister Ssebugwawo

The Minister of State for ICT Hon Joyce Ssebugwawo has said that President Museveni chose Hon Nyombi Thembo as the new Executive Director for Uganda Communication Commission because of both his political and technical experience. Ssebugwawo revealed this after witnessing the swearing in of Nyombi Thembo as the new Executive Director of UCC.
The function was held at UCC offices in Bugolobi a posh Kampala suburb. "We have a lot of faith in him and we hope he will do better because he knows all areas of operation," says Minister Ssebugwawo. She adds that Nyombi will clean that dirt that has been left in UCC. "Nyombi was a minister for ICT, Director in UCC and a politician so we expect him to do well because he knows people very well and will bring them together," she said. She added that the interview for the job were so hot and open even Eng. Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo participated but Nyombi defeated her because of his experience. The Minister also thanked Eng. Kaggwa for her great performance while in her acting capacity. 
Nyombi Thembo after taking office officially revealed that his first task as the ED will be to vet Directors whose contracts are expiring to see if they can be renewed. "Some Contracts of our Directors are expiring in January and am going to seat with the board and discuss if we can renew them," he says. He further said he will closely work with the public following the law. He also warned the media houses to operate under the law. "If you follow the law, we shall give you the licence but when you work contrary, we shall use the law to deal with you," he said. He said he found the institution working well and he will not put it down. He also thanked Eng. Kaggwa for her contributions while working in acting position. Speaking shortly after assuming office from Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo who has been in acting capacity, Thembo hailed her for steering the ship for the last three years. He pledged to continue from where his predecessor left. “Now that the licencing regime for telecom companies obligates them to cover 90% of the geographical coverage of Uganda will help solve the problem of connectivity. Previously, telecoms have been designing their networks on population coverage but now the new licencing regime changed this,” Thembo said. The new UCC boss said this will be top on his agenda to ensure digital inclusion in the country. “We want to ensure meaningful connectivity and not just 2G but at least 3G network throughout the country.  In regards to connectivity, I want to ensure that by 2025/26, we should be able to have 100% coverage of the country at 3G level.” Thembo said whereas connectivity is still currently low, usage is the biggest problem that the country faces. “The biggest problem is not connectivity. Even where there is connectivity, usage is still very low. What drives usage is relevant content. We should focus on content. We are looking at content very seriously as the regulator.” “To our esteemed consumers and stakeholders, you are the driving force behind our relevance. We commit to even stronger collaboration to realize the socioeconomic transformational value of ICT.” The new UCC Executive Director pledged to continue working with the private sector to ensure the telecom sector continues to thrive. “I recognize and value the private sector’s crucial role in the ICT ecosystem. We pledge not to disrupt your business models and implore you to play by the rules to ensure the delivery of quality, safe and affordable communication services to the people of Uganda.”