KAMPALA — Peter Kahiigi, the Director eGovernment Services has called his time at the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U), upon serving a 10year tenure at C-level.
In June of this year, Mr. Kahiigi gave NITA-U notice that he would be taking on a new challenge. NITA – U is grateful to Peter for having shared 10 years of IT service delivery.
NITA-U is grateful that Peter has been deliberate in preparing and leaving behind a team to steer NITA-U to greater heights. We wish him the very best in his next endeavour.
On 1st August 2010, Peter joined NITA-U as Director Technical Services (DTS) and charged with the responsibility of providing leadership towards the establishment of Information Communications Technology (ICT) Infrastructure in the country and resuscitation of the previously ’dead’ National Backbone Infrastructure/ EGovernment Infrastructure (NBI/EGI). He is also heralded for having operationalized NITA – U in ensuring the agency obtained a Vote.
Following the successful operationalization of the NBI/EGI, he was appointed the Director Information Security (DIS). One of the key standouts was the establishing of Uganda’s national cyber security coordination unit to protect Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Governments (MDAs/LGs) against cyber-attacks, risks and vulnerabilities that could hamper ICT systems supporting national development goals.
In 2015, Mr. Kahiigi was appointed as the Director E-Government Services (DEGS) charged with the overall responsibility of ensuring the use of ICT to transform public service delivery as well as the lives of ordinary Ugandans. This extended to the supervision of all ICT Chief Information Officers (CIO) and the development and use of electronic services across MDA/LGs.
Noteworthy is that the portfolio of ICT systems grew from 47 to 340 Government systems; an e-citizens portal has been established with 101 services centralized to promote usage and the impact of e-government services has been felt at a national level.
He led the development of the RCIP Project Appraisal Document and secured cabinet approval of the RCIP project in 2015. Consequently, the approval of the USD. 85Million RCIP program was achieved through various multi-sectoral engagements. RCIP has become the cornerstone for the expansion of the ICT backbone, development & deepening of e-services and the enhancement of cyber security.
Throughout his tour of duty as Director Technical Services, Director Information Security and Director eGovernment Services, Kahiigi have had the opportunity of leading projects right from ideation to planning to implementation.
He has been at the forefront of implementing shared services across Government of Uganda.
The deliberate provision of shared services has resulted into cost savings worth approximately USD 1.2 Trillion which is one of the core purposes of NITA-U in Government.
It should be recalled that Peter established international strategic partnerships on behalf of NITA-U while in its infancy. These relationships included; Oxford Global Cyber Security Capacity Centre with regards to cyber security; Commonwealth Cybercrime Initiative (CCI), National Information Society Agency (NIA) of Korea for the establishment of the IAC and various Governments such as; Republic of Estonia for e-government services. It should be noted that the above partnerships are with the “Digital 5” countries that constitute the World’s most digitalized nations.
Associating with the best has allowed NITA-U benchmark with the world’s e-government excellence hubs in its quest to enable citizens’ lives through e-services.
Commenting on the end of his tenure, Peter remarked, ‘my mantra at NITA-U has been Hasta la victoria Siempre!’ Translated, it means ‘until victory always!’. ‘It has been an extreme honor and I am exceedingly proud of the shared wins across the ICT sector, he added.
“I am thankful to the ICT Ministers I have had the opportunity to serve under and the NITA Board, whose supervision was a constant North star for me. I wish the NITA-U Board, Management and staff the very best as they lead in the country to the digitalization nirvana,” Mr Kahiigi concluded.
Mr. Kahiigi will be taking on a role as an expert at the Global Centre for Cyber Security, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
