Edward Bitanywaine Rugumayo is a Ugandan politician, diplomat, author, academic and environmentalist. He has previously served as cabinet minister in three Ugandan administrations. From 1979 until 1980, Rugumayo served as the Chairman of the Uganda Legislative Council. He currently serves as the chancellor of two Ugandan universities. He is a botanist and a community leader.
History
Rugumayo was born in Kyenjojo District, then known as Mwenge County, on 18 December 1934.
When Rugumayo returned to Uganda in 1966, he taught briefly at Kyambogo before joining Makerere University, as the warden of Mitchell Hall, one of the halls of residence. In 1971, Idi Amin successfully led a coup d'état against the Obote I administration. Rugumayo was appointed Minister of Education, through connections with his friend Wanume Kibedi, a lawyer, with whom they had studied in London and who was an in-law to Idi Amin. Kibedi was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. In February 1973, one year and eight months on the job, Rugumayo resigned from Amin's cabinet; the first member of the cabinet to resign. He went into exile in Nairobi, Kenya, staying there until 1979, when Amin's regime was toppled. After the Uganda National Liberation Army and the Uganda National Liberation Front captured power in Kampala, with the assistance of the Tanzania People's Defence Force, Rugumayo was appointed chairman of the National Consultative Council, the parliament of the time. Rugumayo was instrumental in removing Yusuf Lule from power, when Lule disagreed with the NCC on procedural protocol when making cabinet appointments. Lule was replaced by Godfrey Binaisa. In May 1980, while Rugumayo was in Arusha, Tanzania, the Binaisa administration was also deposed in another coup d'état. This time Rugumayo stayed in exile until 1992. That year, he returned to Uganda and joined the National Resistance Movement administration of Yoweri Museveni.
Academic and political appointments
He has formerly held the following positions in the Ugandan Government, International Organizations and Universities:
As Senior Science Inspector of Schools, while teaching at the Institute of Teacher Education, Kyambogo; now part of Kyambogo University, from 1968 until 11969.
As Warden of Mitchell Hall, and lecturer, Department of Education, Makerere University, from 1970 until 1971.
As Minister of Education from June 1971 until February 1973 under Idi Amin
As Chairperson of a 12-person team of consultants hired to establish the School of Environmental Studies at Moi University in Kenya, in 1989.
As Visiting UNDP/UNEP Professor of Environment at Moi University.
As Senior Programme Coordinator of Environment Liaison Centre International, a global coalition of environment NGOs based in Nairobi, from June 1992 until May 1995.
In 2005, during a cabinet reshuffle, Rugumayo was appointed Uganda's ambassador to France, a position which he turned down.
Other considerations
Rugumayo started Tooro Botanical Gardens, a, natural tropical forest with rare native flora, with medicinal, dye-producing and perfumed plant species. It is the only other botanical gardens in Uganda, other than the government-owned Entebbe Botanical Gardens in Entebbe, on the shores of Lake Victoria. He also owns a mixed diary and crop farm measuring, where he also maintains an apiary.
