The Coordinator of the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) Crispin Kaheru has shocked the nation with his resignation, just one year to the 2021 elections.
In a letter addressed to Miria Matembe the newly elected Chair of CCEDU’s Board of Directors, Kaheru says that he made a personal commitment to serve as National Coordinator for a maximum of nine (9) years; “so now, having fulfilled my personal pledge, it is time for me to begin a new phase in my professional life” he writes.
“During the past nine (9) years, I have had the honour of working with CCEDU and the Secretariat team on enriching our citizenship experience as Ugandans. I have experienced moments of extraordinary progress as well as great challenges. I have led teams and participated in critical historical events. During this period, I have also fulfilled my personal commitment” Kaheru says in his resignation.
According to his notice, Kaheru will be resigning from office with effect from Friday 11th October 2019 at 5:30pm (17:30hours). He assumed the role of National Coordinator CCEDU 9 years ago, at the age of 26.
He listed some of the achievements as making great strides in ensuring that CCEDU recruits and retains enthusiastic professional staff, who are capable of delivering on the Coalition’s mandate. “CCEDU’s staff profile has grown from two (2) volunteers in 2009 to 15 full-time staff in 2019. CCEDU has over the years striven to build the most talented and dedicated team for the Secretariat. Besides the Secretariat, CCEDU has built a robust human resource pool in every district of Uganda. Although this network is not formally a part of the Secretariat, its role feeds directly into the work of the Secretariat on a daily basis and has kept CCEDU on top of political and electoral developments in the country every day.”
“Madam Chair, I have worked closely with my colleagues at the Secretariat, and I can attest to their unmatched abilities to take CCEDU to higher levels. At senior managerial level, both Ms. Charity Ahimbisibwe, currently the Head of Communication and Mr. Ivan Mwaka, the Head of Elections, have the competencies and skills to execute major organizational decisions, manage overall operations and resources of CCEDU, and act as the focal point of communication between the Board of Directors and the Coalition. In fact, they have reliably held fort when I have been away on mission.I am confident that I leave behind a team that is first and foremost committed to the cause of CCEDU, but also more importantly, a team with unparalleled experience and expertise in managing electoral matters of the country and the region at large” he added.
Kaheru also atoned for any errors he may have committed during his tenure in office. “I may have erred in different ways or fallen short of the high expectations of many, as I executed my coordination role. Please note that I strove to be the best that I could be in carrying out my duties. I ask for forgiveness from those I may have wronged. To those who assisted me on my professional path, I am sincerely grateful. To those that I may have helped, I truly wish I had done more. To those who feel that I did not help or did not help enough, I humbly ask for your understanding” he writes.