Senior government communications specialists Allan Ssempebwa Kyobe and Emmanuel Ainebyoona have swapped positions between the Ministry of Works and Transport and the Ministry of Health in a recent reshuffle.
Ssempebwa is moving to the Ministry of Health, while Ainebyoona takes up the communications role at the Ministry of Works and Transport.
Ssempebwa confirmed the transfer to local publisher Nile Post, saying he had accepted the new assignment after receiving a briefing from the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance.
“I have embraced it and I have received very good briefing from my deploying office,” he said.
The change comes barely two years after Ssempebwa was posted to the Ministry of Works and Transport, where he quickly became one of its most visible public-facing communications officials.
A communications specialist with a journalism background, Ssempebwa built a reputation for engaging directly with the public, especially on social media, where he responds to queries and explains technical issues related to roads, transport and infrastructure.
His experience in the sector dates back to his time at the former Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA).
At Works and Transport, he also increased engagement with journalists by regularly taking reporters into the field to cover ministry operations, including public transport enforcement activities such as the Ganyegenya operations and broader vehicle inspection and road safety campaigns.
The reshuffle alters the communications dynamics at the Ministry of Works and Transport, where Susan Kataike has sought to maintain her position as head of communication and public relations.
Relations between her and Ssempebwa had reportedly been frosty.
Kataike has publicly led several of the ministry’s major programmes in 2026, including consultations and reforms around the Electronic Penalty System and Fine Issuance System, as well as the Ganyegenya operations.
Sources familiar with the ministry say Ssempebwa’s active public engagement created a new dynamic within the communications function, and that his transfer eventually became a matter of timing.
Officials have not publicly detailed the reasons for the reshuffle.
Ssempebwa brings a strong professional record to the Health ministry.
In 2025, he was named among 44 new Chartered Public Relations Practitioners globally by the UK-based Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), earning the Chart.
The recognition places him among a relatively small group of professionals acknowledged for strategic communication, ethical practice and leadership.
He has previously handled communications around major infrastructure projects, road safety campaigns and other issues that attract intense public and media scrutiny.
His technical knowledge of infrastructure, combined with his journalism background, has enabled him to translate complex government policies into information accessible to the public.
Ainebyoona, meanwhile, moves in the opposite direction after years as one of the most recognisable government health communicators.
He has served as the public voice of the Ministry of Health on numerous issues, providing updates on public health programmes and emerging health concerns.
His new role at Works and Transport will require him to communicate on roads, transport regulation, infrastructure projects and other matters affecting motorists and the travelling public.
The swap places two experienced communications specialists into highly technical sectors where clear public communication is central to policy implementation.
For Ssempebwa, the Health ministry assignment will involve shifting focus to health services, disease prevention, medical programmes and government interventions.
At Works and Transport, Ainebyoona steps into a ministry that faces sustained public scrutiny over road safety, transport regulation and the quality of public transport.