The Parliament of Uganda has vetted former Burahya Member of Parliament Rtd. Col. Stephen Basaliza aka Omudumiizi a Commissioner of the Human Rights Commission (UHRC).
Last week, President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni re-appointed Basaliza back to the Commission together with former Kassanda South Member of Parliament Simeo Nsubuga and Omara Apita, a former Commissioner for Sports at the Ministry of Education.
The President sent a letter copied to the Prime Minster Hon. Robbinah Nabbanja bearing names of the appointees to the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon. Anita Annet Among for vetting.
It should however be noted that unlike the other two appointees, Basaliza, a bush-war hero and retired Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) Colonel, bounces back at the UHRC because he was some time back a Commissioner at the Commission.
The Human Rights Commission, which is headed by Margaret Wangadya, has been grappling with a case backlog and understaffing for three years following the death of Rev. Father Simon Lokodo and the expiry of contracts for two commissioners.
This therefore means that the new appointees now fully constitute the Commission, a development that is expected to expedite the handling of cases before it.
A former member of the Uganda Patriotic Movement that later gave birth to the National Resistance Army (NRA), Basaliza, who is a lawyer by profession, is one of the bush war heroes that heralded the current National Resistance Movement (NRM) into power.
He was also among the first contingent AMISOM Troops to be deployed to Somalia in 2007, under the Command of Gen. Levi Karuhanga, (RIP).
After his tour of duty in Somalia he returned to Uganda and was appointed Chief of Pensions, Gratuity and Survivor Benefits in the UPDF, where he served with Diligence and honesty without complaints.
During the NRA bush war, Basaliza, who was a lieutenant then, is remembered for driving President Yoweri Museveni, then a member of the Front for National Salvation (Fronasa), in his father Emmanuel Basaliza’s Mercedes Benz 220S Sedan.
Who is Col. Stephen Basaliza?
Armed with a lot of experience, Basaliza served in the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces as Director of Human Rights (2007 -2010) and in the Ministry of Defence (1997 – 2001) after which he joined Parliament as MP for Burahya (2001 – 2006), after which he went on to pursue private business.
He was then given another assignment in the Uganda Human Rights Commission and since he understands the challenges of the elderly and he’s been advocating for their equality, fairness through the Commission.
His back ground stems from the UNLF /Fronasa, Uganda Patriotic Movement as founder member, NRA/NRM liberation struggle, although prior to that he was a professional teacher and later joined Parliament to represent Burahya County, in Kabarole District.
However, after some time he voluntarily opted out of politics after consultation with President Museveni.
During his days in the army, Basaliza attended the prestigious Kimaka Senior Command and Staff College in the 2nd intake after UPDF Generals like Elly Tumwine (RIP), Salim Saleh, Noble Mayombo (RIP), etc.
Currently he is a farmer in fields of tea and coffee growing, although he is also involved in dairy farming, which he does on a four-acre model farm.