UGANDA NAMES NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KAMPALA 001640

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/22/18
TAGS: PGOV PREL UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA NAMES NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO
UNITED NATIONS

Classified By: P/E Chief Kathleen FitzGibbon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d
).


1. (C) Summary: Minister of Internal Affairs Ruhukana
Rugunda was named as Uganda's new Permanent Representative to
the United Nations (UN PermRep) on December 12. Highly
accessible to U.S. diplomats, Rugunda had previously served
as Uganda's Foreign Minister, is at ease with foreign
interlocutors and diplomatic procedures, and was selected
primarily to enhance Uganda's credibility at the UN.
Rugunda's selection bodes well for our daily interactions
with the Ugandan delegation in New York. However, Rugunda is
not a forward-leaning strategist, detail-oriented operator,
or known for his bureaucratic skills. He insisted on the UN
PermRep position being given Cabinet rank and a direct
reporting line to President Museveni. While this could be a
good sign if Rugunda can act independently of the
dysfunctional Foreign Ministry, we do not have any
indications that he has been given independent
decision-making authority. There is some concern that his
direct line to the President could create tensions with
Foreign Minister Kutesa. Rugunda and his inexperienced new
deputy may also be handicapped by the Ugandan Foreign
Ministry's lack of organization and clarity on UN issues. We
do not expect a sea change in Uganda's positions at the UN,
as we continue to hear the often-repeated explanations that
Ugandan needs to vote against the U.S. to maintain
credibility in its regional associations. We also do not
expect Rugunda and his new team to get off to a quick start
on January 1 without a significant level of assistance. End
Summary.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -
BUTAGIRA OUT...RUGUNDA IN
- - - - - - - - - - - - -


2. (C) On December 12, the Uganda Ministry of Foreign
Affairs announced that Minister of Internal Affairs Rukukana
Rugunda, an experienced politician and diplomat with
significant gravitas, replaced current Permanent
Representative to the United Nations Francis Butagira,
effective January 1, 2009. The appointment is widely seen as
good news and an indication that Museveni took negative
reports about Butagira seriously. Museveni reportedly
ordered Kutesa to remove Butagira, Kutesa's long-time friend,
according to Minister of State for International Relations
Henry Okello Oryem. Butagira was appointed to be Uganda's
High Commissioner to Germany.


3. (C) The bad news is that Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa also
removed Uganda's Deputy UN PermRep, Ambassador Adonia
Ayebare, a move which has caused concern in New York,
Kampala, and the region. His replacement of Ayebare, who is
Museveni's point person on the Burundi Peace Process, has
raised concern with Burundian and South African officials.
Ayebare told us that he will not accept the demotion to
Deputy Chief of Mission in Addis Ababa. Instead, he plans to
take a leave of absence, which will leave the Burundi process
without an essential player. The President's Principal
Private Secretary Amelia Kyambadde advised Ayebare to submit
his leave of absence request directly to Museveni, who may
not be aware Ayebare was also removed.


4. (C) Neither Rugunda nor Ayebare's replacement, Ambassador
Patrick Mugoya, who is currently the Director for Regional
Affairs at the MFA, are proactive networkers. In addition,
the MFA's delays in organizing a new UN unit means that
Uganda's new team did not participate in training
opportunities provided by UNSC members or the month-long
observation of the UNSC. Several MFA officials who worked
with Rugunda when he was Foreign Minister say that
organizational skills were not Rugunda's strong suit.


5. (C) Nonetheless, Rugunda is considered to be one of
Museveni's oldest political allies and has served in every
Cabinet since 1986. This allowed him to insist that the UN
PermRep position be given Cabinet status and report directly
to the President, which could put him at odds with Kutesa.
Ruling party insiders say that Rugunda's political longevity
is explained by the fact that he does not have presidential
ambitions. Some critics claim that Rugunda is a "yes man."
However, many cabinet members and close observers have told
us that he reportedly speaks his mind to Museveni in private.
Nonethless, publicly, Rugunda is very diplomatic. He spoke
authoritatively on issues related directly to his ministerial
portfolio, but prefered to remain above the political fray.


6. (C) U.S. Mission Kampala officers have had excellent
access to Rugunda and worked closely with him on LRA and
human rights issues. Rugunda chooses his words very

KAMPALA 00001640 002 OF 003


carefully, particularly in public. When issues are brought
to him, he listens very carefully before responding. He will
not openly criticize other government colleagues and keeps
his cards close to his chest. However, after gaining his
confidence, Rugunda will often make references or give hints
as to other dynamics at play in any given situation.

- - - - - - - -
A GOOD SOLDIER
- - - - - - - -


7. (C) When it announced Rugunda's selection, the MFA stated
that an extensive search was conducted and that Rugunda was
the unanimous choice because of his good standing at home and
abroad. While likely true, Rugunda's appointment could, in
part, be the result of domestic political wrangling within
the security services, which increased the attractiveness of
moving Rugunda out of Uganda during the run up to the 2011
elections. Rugunda is regularly named as the Government's
most popular minister, primarily because he is widely viewed
at moderate on human rights and a voice of reason within an
increasingly militarized internal security apparatus. As
Minister of Internal Affairs, Rugunda has had to maintain a
delicate balance on the National Security Committee,
comprised of military, intelligence, and civilian security
entities. He has had a difficult job trying to prevent the
Internal Security Organization (an intelligence unit focused
on domestic opponents, led by Lt. Gen. David Tinyefuza and
based inside the Presidency) from completely undermining
efforts to professionalize the Ugandan Police Force through
its conduct of operations against civilians while wearing
police uniforms. Allegedly, Tineyfuza's primary task is to
quash internal dissent in the run-up to the next elections in

2011.


8. (C) Ironically, Rugunda was on many occasions called in
to provide a "soft" face for heavy-handed government actions
directed by Tinyefuza, some of which Rugunda opposed or which
he may not have had knowledge prior to their occurrence.
After the invasion of the High Court by security forces on
March 1, 2007, and the arrests of ministers from the Buganda
Kingdom in July 2008, for example, Rugunda was used to help
de-escalate the situation and weaken external criticism of
the actions. Prominent journalist and longtime Rugunda
friend Andrew Mwenda believes that Rugunda's re-assignment to
the UN will give the upper hand to Tinyefuza and other
elements within the security forces whose orders are to keep
Museveni in power at any cost. As a result, Mwenda and other
journalists believe that regime hardliners may have wanted to
sideline him in order to allow the police and security
apparatus to be used against political opponents in the
upcoming campaign. A ruling party rebel parliamentarian from
Rugunda's home area, Henry Benyanzaki, said that Rugunda may
be "relieved" by his appointment to New York because he will
no longer have to intervene or play the front man on issues
of human rights abuses at home. On the other hand, some
Uganda analysts believe he was put in New York to deflect
potential international criticism should political crackdowns
emerge during the election run-up.


9. (SBU) Rugunda's patience, professionalism, and personal
gravitas during the two-year long peace negotiations with the
Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) paid significant political
dividends in northern Uganda and within the diplomatic
community. He never let LRA demands and insults rattle him.
Rugunda, one of the only civilians on the negotiating team,
constantly defended the pursuit of negotiations against
military and security officials in the government. He could
speak authoritatively on the peace talks and regularly
briefed the diplomatic community and media on the peace
process, which helped distill some doubts about the
Government's sincerity in the negotiations.

- - - -
COMMENT
- - - -


10. (C) Given the lack of institutional expertise on UN
issues in Kampala and New York, Rugunda will need (and may
appreciate) a significant level of assistance in his first
months at the UN. We will continue to work hard from our end
to determine what the MFA's instructions are to its mission.
We do not have any indications that there will be any great
variance in Uganda's positions at the UN.

- - - - - - - - -
BIOGRAPHIC NOTES
- - - - - - - - -


11. (U) Since May 2003, and prior to appointment as UN

KAMPALA 00001640 003 OF 003


PermRep, Rugunda has served as Minister of Internal Affairs.
Rugunda was appointed as an "ex-officio" member of Parliament
(meaning he does not have an elected constituency to
represent). Rugunda served as Minister of Water, Lands, and
Environment from 2001 to 2003. During his tenure as
Environment Minister, he was elected President of the UN
Environment Program (UNEP) Governing Council and the Global
Ministerial Environment Forum. Previously, Rugunda served as
the Minister in Charge of the Presidency (1999-2001),the
Minister of Information (1996-1999),the Minister of Foreign
Affairs (1994-1996),the Minister of Transport,
Communications, and Works (1987-1994),the Minister of Health
(1986-1987),and as the Deputy Minister of Health (1986-1987).


12. (U) Rugunda is a founding member of Museveni's original
political party, the Uganda Patriotic Movement (1980),and
served on the external committee of Museveni's National
Resistance Movement (NRM) after the NRM turned to armed
struggle. He also was once a member of the Uganda People's
Congress (UPC) youth wing and of the General Services Unit, a
notorious security organization during former President
Milton Obote's first government. Rugunda's ties to the UPC
has generated significant mistrust among Museveni's hard-line
advisors.


13. (U) Rugunda graduated with a Master's Degree in Public
Health from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1997.
At Berkeley, he served as President of the African Students
Union. He received a degree in Medicine and Surgery from the
University of Zambia in 1975.


14. (U) An ethnic Mukiga from Kabale District, in
southwestern Uganda, Rugunda was born in 1947. Rugunda and
his wife, Jocelyn, have four sons, three of whom were
educated and/or live in the U.S.
BROWNING