Uganda is a Sovereign State and a Republic. It is a sitting member of the United Nations, African Union, The East African Community and the Commonwealth. The power of the Executive Branch is vested in the President of Uganda, who also acts as head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Parliament and also appoints the Cabinent. The Vice President is also part of the Executive Branch, ready to assume the Presidency should the need arise. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is the current president of Uganda. The President is both the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Uganda, and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
The Vice President is Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi since 24th May 2011. He is a lawyer and politician. Prior to that, he served as the Speaker of Parliament of Uganda, a position he served from 2001 until 2011.
The primary responsibility of the Vice President of Uganda is to be ready at a moment’s notice to assume the Presidency if the President is unable to perform his duties. This can be due to the President’s death, resignation, or temporary incapacitation, or if the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet judge that the President is no longer able to discharge the duties of the presidency. The Vice-President is second in Uganda’s command chain. Below the Vice President is the Prime Minister who is a Co-ordinator of Government and Head of Cabinet in Parliament.
Ruhakana Rugunda is the current Prime Minister, a position he has held since 18th October 2014. He has held a long series of Cabinet posts: he was Minister of Health from 1986 to 1988, Minister of Works, Transport and Communication from 1988 to 1994, Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1996, Minister of Information from 1996 to 1998, Minister at the Presidency from 1998 to 2001, Minister of Water, Lands and Environment from 2001 to 2003, and Minister of Internal Affairs from 2003 to 2009.
He also served as Chairman of the NRM Electoral Commission, as Member of Parliament for Kabale Municipality, and as President of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). In July 2006, Rugunda led a Ugandan government negotiating team to Juba, Sudan to hold peace talks with the Lord’s Resistance Army.
In January 2009, he was appointed as Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations. At the same time, the position was elevated to Cabinet Ministerial level in Uganda. He twice served as the President of the Security Council in July 2009 and in October 2010 during Uganda’s two-year stint on the Security Council. In the cabinet reshuffle of 27 May 2011, he was instead appointed as Minister of Information and Communication Technology. In May 2013, he was moved to the post of Minister of Health.