Crispus Walter Kiyonga (born 19 September 1952) is a Ugandan medical doctor, politician and career diplomat. He is the current

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

, the largest public university of

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. He served as

's Ambassador to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. He previously served as the

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

in the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 30 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). The number of state ministers reduced by one in September 2024 after the death of Hon. Sarah Mateke who was the state minister for defence. Accor ...

from 2006 to 2016. Prior to that, he was

Minister Without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

in the Office of the President from 2005 to 2006. During the cabinet reshuffles of 16 February 2009, 27 May 2011, and 1 March 2015, he retained his cabinet post. In 2016, he lost the Member of Parliament (MP) seat for Bukonjo County West to Robert Katusabe,

Kasese District Kasese District is a district in Western Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its chief town and district headquarters, the town of Kasese. History In September 2022, the district was hit by deadly landslides. Location ...

, in the Ugandan Parliament.

Background and education

Kiyonga was born in

in the Western Region of Uganda on 19 September 1952. Between 1959 and 1966, he attended Bwera Primary School, in

Bwera Mpondwe is a town in the Western Region of Uganda. History In June 2023, the Lhubiriha secondary school in Mpondwe was attacked by militants linked to Islamic State group from the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo. Around 40 people, most ...

, a few kilometres from the Ugandan border with the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

. During 1967 through 1970, he attended

Nyakasura School Nyakasura School is a mixed, boarding, middle, and high school in Fort Portal, Kabarole District, Western Region of Uganda. Location The school is located in Nyakasura, off the Fort Portal-Bundibugyo Road, approximately , by road, north-west of ...

from S1 to S4. He studied for his S5 and S6 at

Kings College Budo King’s College Budo is a mixed, residential, secondary school in Central Uganda (Buganda). Location The school is located on Naggalabi Hill, in southern Wakiso District, off the Kampala-Masaka Road. This location lies approximately , by roa ...

from 1971 to 1972. From 1973 through 1978, he attended

Makerere University School of Medicine The Makerere University School of Medicine (MUSM), also known as the Makerere University Medical School, is the school of medicine of Makerere University, Uganda's oldest and largest public university. The medical school has been part of Makerer ...

where he obtained his first medical degree, the

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

(MBChB) in 1978. Later, in 2004, he obtained a

Master of Health Science The Master of Health Science (MHS/M.H.Sc.) degree is a specialized master's degree. Depending on the department and specific area of study, the MHS degree provides opportunities for advanced study and research (academic MHS programs) or prepares i ...

(MHS) with specialisation in Population Dynamics from the

Johns Hopkins School of Public Health The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university primarily based in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded as the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene ...

. His studies at Johns Hopkins were funded through
Fogarty International Center Scholarship
.

Career

During the first post-

Idi Amin Idi Amin Dada Oumee (, ; 30 May 192816 August 2003) was a Ugandan military officer and politician who served as the third president of Uganda from 1971 until Uganda–Tanzania War, his overthrow in 1979. He ruled as a Military dictatorship, ...

national elections in Uganda in 1980, Kiyonga participated as a candidate on the

Uganda Patriotic Movement The Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) is a defunct socialist political party in Uganda. It was founded by Yoweri Museveni and was a left-wing splinter group from the Uganda People's Congress (UPC). The UPM participated in the December 1980 general ...

(UPM) platform. He won in his constituency, making him the only UPM candidate who won during those elections. He joined the

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement (; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla war through its rebel wing National ...

(NRM) during its struggle against the second

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan politician who served as the second prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to 1966 and the second president of Uganda from 1966 to 1971 and later from 1980 to 1985. A Lango, ...

regime from 1981 until 1986. From 1986, when the NRM assumed power in Uganda, until 2006 when he was appointed as Minister of Defense, Crispus Kiyonga held several cabinet and non-cabinet posts in the Ugandan Government: * 1986 - 1986: Minister for Cooperatives & Marketing * 1986 - 1992:

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

- Credited with the establishment of

Uganda Revenue Authority The Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is a government revenue collection agency established by the Parliament of Uganda. Operating under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (Uganda), Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic ...

. * 1994 - 1996: Minister of Internal Affairs * 1996 - 2001: Minister of Health - Credited with efficient handling of

Ebola Ebola, also known as Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF), is a viral hemorrhagic fever in humans and other primates, caused by ebolaviruses. Symptoms typically start anywhere between two days and three weeks after in ...

outbreak in

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

in 2000. Chairman Global Fund. * 2001 - 2006:

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is a government minister without specific responsibility as head of a government department. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet with decision-making authorit ...

in the Office of the President and National Political Commissar. * 2006 - 2016: Minister of Defense Between 1992 and 1994, Kiyonga left the government temporarily to serve as a consultant with the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

and the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

. He returned to active politics in 1994 when he was elected to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

that drew up the 1995 Uganda Constitution. He continuously represented Bukonjo County West, in the Ugandan Parliament, from 1980 until 2016. In 2016, he was appointed Uganda's Ambassador to China.

References

External links

Website of the Parliament of Uganda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kiyonga, Crispus 1952 births Living people Konjo people People from Kasese District Uganda Patriotic Movement politicians Ambassadors of Uganda to China National Resistance Movement politicians Ministers of finance of Uganda Defense ministers of Uganda Government ministers of Uganda Johns Hopkins University alumni Makerere University alumni Members of the 8th Parliament of Uganda Members of the 9th Parliament of Uganda Ugandan public health doctors Politicians from Western Region, Uganda

Background and education

Career

See also

References

External links