Cabinet approves NITA, Refugee Appeals boards

Cabinet has approved the appointments of various individuals to the boards of National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) and Refugee Appeals Board.

The executive director of Uganda Media Centre, Ofwono Opondo, said the appointments were approved during a Cabinet sitting on Monday at the Office of the President in Kampala.

The NITA-U board will be chaired by John Musinguzi and members will include James Saaka the authority's executive director, Amina Zawedde, James Kabagyo, Peter Torach, Richard Otete and Prof. Annabella Habinka Basaza.

The Refugee Appeals Board will be chaired by Gordon Oloya and members will include; Charles Wadenya, Gordon Mwesigye, Mohammed Kisambira and Amin Angupale, the former woman MP for Arua. The members will serve on the boards for three years.

The Refugee Appeals Board is supposed to be used by refugees to challenge decisions, for example, on their applications for refugee status and relocation.

"For example, if Uganda rejected an application for refugee status from a refugee or wants to relocate some refugees from one place to another within the country, they would be expected to use the board to challenge such decisions," Ofwono said.

He was speaking to journalists at Uganda Media Centre in Kampala on Tuesday. Ofwono explained that the board would also be used to handle cases involving, for example, Uganda rejecting refugees' applications and proposing to have them resettled in a different country.

"You know there are also cases of refugees who come here claiming that their lives are under threat when it may actually not be true. This board is supposed to look into those issues before granting refugee status," he stated.