Rugyendo appointed Speaker Oboth's principal press secretary
Rugyendo said he has many colleagues in the media he will work with to support the speakership.
Dr Arinaitwe Rugyendo. (Courtesy)
_________________
Dr Arinaitwe Rugyendo has been appointed the principal press secretary of the Speaker of the 12th Parliament, Jacob Marksons Oboth, replacing Joseph Sabiti.
Rugyendo confirmed to New Vision that he had picked his letter of appointment on Friday.
“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 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.
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.
He also serves as chairman of the Uganda Premier League, board member of the Network for Multidisciplinary Research Africa (NEMRA), and senior lecturer of Journalism and Communication at Victoria University.
He founded the African School of Innovations, Science, and Technology (ASIST) and Young Engineers Uganda, utilizing LEGO and robotics kits to teach STEM concepts to children aged 4 to 15.
Honoured internationally, Rugyendo received the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship and the Crans Montana Forum Future Leaders' Award in Switzerland.