At our Annual General Meeting held on Friday, May 28th, PCAU Members selected new members to join our Board of Directors, the selection followed a vigorous process of nominations and vetting of the nominees by the outgoing Board. As per our constitution, it the duty of members to select who sits on the Board. The Board members can hold the position only up to six consecutive years on two terms of three years each.

Four Members, Dr. Ekiria Kikule, Hajjati Dr. Safina Musene, Mrs. Dorah Kiconco Musinguzi, and Dr. Andrew Ocero have served on the Board since February 2015. They did a great job supporting the growth of PCAU. As they transit from the Board, all of them have committed to becoming Life Members of PCAU and will therefore remain part of us.

We express our sincere gratitude to all departing board members for their dedicated contributions to PCAU’s mission and vision.

The four newly elected members include Ms. Grace Nayiga, Dr. Kirungi Gloria Kasozi, Dr. Miriam Ajambo, and CPA Dr. Timothy Basiima. These will join the current board members Dr. Henry Ddungu, Mr Gerever Nuwagaba, Hajjat Mwazi Batuli, Mr. John Muwonge, and Ms. Josephine Kampi Tatyabala, bringing the total number of board members to nine.

Below is a bio for each of our newest members.

Ms. Grace Nayiga is a Lawyer. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice obtained from the Law Development Centre and Bachelor of Laws from Uganda Christian University (UCU). She is the Head, Legal Aid and Community Justice at the Uganda Network on Law and Ethics and HIV/AIDS (UGANET). She has over 10 years of experience serving as a legal aid lawyer in three institutions and currently at UGANET. At UGANET Grace leads a team of Advocates and Lawyers that deliver on the Access to Justice Strategy through working with Leaders, Health Workers, and other justice actors to identify persons with legal needs in communities. Grace has been involved in advocacy work for the Right to Health and Palliative Care as a Human Right. She has participated in supporting hospices and palliative care units in public facilities to strengthen legal support services for patients and families. She is a member of PCAU. 

Dr. Kirungi Gloria Kasozi has 13 years of experience in health system strengthening focused on HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Maternal, newborn, and Child Health, Family Planning, Gender-Based Violence, Human Nutrition, and Dietetics. She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health, Masters in Public Health, and Bachelor in Human Nutrition and Dietetics.  Dr. Kirungi’s passion for palliative care started at Mildmay Uganda in 2009-2015 where she led efforts for integrating nutrition care within all palliative care interventions. She derives fulfillment from the selfless service provided to those in need. She is a Life Member of PCAU.

Dr. Miriam Ajambo is a Senior Medical Officer with the Ministry of Health. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine and Surgery (MBChB). She works in the Department of Clinical Services at the Ministry of Health in the newly established Palliative Care and Hospice Services Division. Before Joining the Ministry of Health, she worked with Gulu and Jinja Regional Referral Hospitals (RRH) as a Medical Officer. Her passion for suffering patients has always pushed her to ensure that they access the medical care they need and deserve. She looks forward to a Uganda with Palliative Care Services at every level of the Health Care System.

CPA Dr. Timothy Basiima is a Certified Public Accountant. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management (DPPM) from UMI, a Masters in Management Studies (MMS) from UMI, and a Ph.D. – Doctor of Leadership and Management (Honoris Causa) from The Common Wealth University of London. He is the CEO and Tax Partner at Goldgate Certified Public Accountants, a Ugandan-based Audit Firm. He is a Researcher with teaching skills, public speaking, supervisory and administrative skills. He is a Board Member, Audit and Risk Committee at CIPLA Quality Chemical Industries Limited. He is also a Board Member of Mengo Hospital Rotary Blood Bank (Uganda) where he is a Vice-Chairperson of the Board. Dr. Basiima is a Rotarian. In 2018, he was recognized among the best Presidents of Rotary clubs in the Rotary District of 9211 (Uganda & Tanzania) having won the top membership award. He played a central role in the realization of the land in Mbarara City which was donated to PCAU by a Rotarian. He is a Life Member of PCAU.

Ms. Grace Nayiga stated after her election that her experience with palliative care as a lawyer has been wonderful, and that she recognizes that health and human rights are linked, and that we cannot accomplish Universal Health Coverage without addressing care and treatment for the terminally ill. She vowed to continue advocating for human rights for palliative care patients, as well as to recruit other lawyers to join the fraternity.

Dr. Miriam Ajambo thanked members for electing her to the PCAU board and pledged to work closely with her superiors at the Ministry of Health to address palliative care challenges. She promised to act as a liaison between the ministry and PCAU in order to ensure that palliative care is provided throughout the country to everyone who requires it. The new board will meet and have elections for the Board Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer at their first sitting.

Thank you everyone for accepting to serve on the PCAU Board of Directors, and we look forward to working together to further the PCAU mission and vision.