Pius Bigirimana

Pius Bigirimana (born 22 March 1958) is a Ugandan career civil servant, public administrator, and author.^[2] He is the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Judiciary of Uganda since July 2019.^[4][5][6] Before this appointment, he served as Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister and later in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.^[7]

Bigirimana began his public service career in the 1980s as an Assistant District Commissioner. He later held senior administrative positions in several government institutions, including the Office of the President and various government ministries. He was first appointed Permanent Secretary in 2008.^[8]

His work has mainly been in public administration, government programme's implementation, and institutional management. He is also the author of books on governance, leadership, and public administration.^[9]

In May 2023, Bigirimana was elected Vice President of the Uganda Association of Public Administration and Management (UAPAM), an affiliate of the African Association for Public Administration and Management, which advances professional standards in public administration across Africa.^[10]

He is married to Elizabeth Bigirimana. In 2023, they marked their 25th wedding anniversary with a thanksgiving service at Christ the King Parish in Kampala.^[11]

Pius Bigirimana was born on 22 March 1958 in Kisoro District, Uganda, to the late Peter Kalerangabo. He was the seventh of ten children in his family.^[12][13]

He was raised in a rural area of Kisoro District during the post-independence period in Uganda. His father was known locally for supporting formal education among his children.^[12][14]

Bigirimana began his formal education at Gatete Primary School in Kisoro District before transferring to Mutolere Primary School, where he completed his primary education. He later enrolled at St. Paul’s Seminary in Kabale but did not complete his studies there. He subsequently continued his secondary education at St. Mary’s College, Rushoroza.^[12]

He later attended Makerere University, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Public Administration. In 1988, he obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Development Administration, majoring in Economic and Social Policy, from the University of Manchester. In 1991, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Development Administration from the University of Manchester. In 2010, he obtained a Master of Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) in Arusha, Tanzania.^[6][15][13]

Bigirimana began his public service career in Kisoro District, where he served as Assistant District Commissioner before being transferred to Mbale District in 1984. He later served as Assistant Secretary and Personal Assistant to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.^[16]

He was subsequently appointed Senior Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and later Principal Assistant Secretary in the Office of the President. He also served as Under Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Public Service, and the Ministry of Health.^[17][13]

In October 2008, Bigirimana was appointed Permanent Secretary and posted to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), where he served for approximately five years. In this capacity, he served as the administrative and accounting officer responsible for coordination of government programmes implemented under the Office of the Prime Minister.^[15] During his tenure, he was involved in the implementation of the Peace, Recovery and Development Plan (PRDP), a government framework aimed at post-conflict recovery in Northern Uganda. The programme was implemented alongside the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF), which focused on community-driven development and reconstruction.^[18] He was also associated with the development of the Uganda Annual Government Performance Review Mechanism, commonly referred to as the “Traffic Light System,” designed to assess the performance of government ministries, departments, and agencies against agreed targets on a semiannual and annual basis.^[19][15]

Between 2006 and 2007, in roles connected to central government administration, he was involved in institutional arrangements concerning Global Fund and GAVI financing mechanisms following prior suspension of funding to the Ministry of Health. These arrangements were intended to strengthen accountability and management systems related to donor-supported programmes.^[18] He was mentioned in public reporting concerning investigations into alleged misuse of donor funds intended for Northern Uganda recovery programmes. He subsequently filed defamation suits against media organizations, and in 2021 the High Court ruled in his favor in a defamation case concerning related publications.^[14][20]

Following his tenure at the Office of the Prime Minister, Bigirimana was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, where he served for approximately six years.^[21][22] During this period, he was associated with the conceptualisation and rollout of the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP), a government initiative aimed at supporting youth employment through group-based financing and enterprise development. The programme was structured as a revolving fund model intended to facilitate access to capital for youth groups engaged in income-generating activities.^[23][24][25] He was also associated with the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP), a government initiative designed to provide financial and technical support to women’s groups for enterprise development and livelihood improvement.^[26][27][18]

Between 2017 and 2019, he was involved in the development of the Green Jobs Programme, which included support for environmentally sustainable enterprise initiatives.^[18][28][29]

In July 2019, Bigirimana was transferred to the Judiciary of Uganda and appointed Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Judiciary.^[30] In this role, he serves as the administrative and accounting officer of the Judiciary, overseeing budgeting, procurement, personnel administration, planning, and institutional support services.^[31][32][17] During his tenure, the Judiciary expanded implementation of the Electronic Court Case Management Information System (ECCMIS), a digital platform intended to support electronic filing, case tracking, and record management within the court system.^[33][34] The Judiciary also expanded construction of permanent court infrastructure during this period, including development of facilities housing the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal. Additional infrastructure projects involved construction and upgrading of High Court and Magistrates’ Court facilities in various regions.^[35][36][37]

Bigirimana has also been associated with the rollout of video conferencing facilities in selected High Courts and prison-linked court facilities to facilitate remote court proceedings.^[38][18][39]

Bigirimana has held leadership roles in regional judicial administration bodies in Southern and Eastern Africa, participating in forums concerned with judicial administration and institutional cooperation among member states.^[40][41][42]

Bigirimana has authored several books on governance, public administration, leadership, and social values. His published works include: Abundance Mentality, Corruption: A Tale of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, Unchained: A Public Servant with a Private Sector Mindset, From Tears to Cheers: An Analysis of Northern Uganda Rehabilitation, Corona Chronicles, Naked Truth: A Candid Book on Family Values, and A Small Book of Big Quotes among others^[43][44][45]

He has also been associated with community initiatives in Kisoro District, including involvement in health facility development projects. Detailed documentation of specific initiatives requires independent sourcing.^[46]

In 2021, the High Court of Uganda ruled in his favor in a defamation case against Monitor Publications Limited, awarding damages and issuing orders restricting further defamatory publication.^[47][48][18]

In December 2021, Bigirimana was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Leadership and Management by the Geofidel Institute of Leadership and Management (United Kingdom) in collaboration with Stratford University (United States), in recognition of his leadership and service.^[49]

He is a recipient of the Distinguished Order of the Source of the Nile (Class One), a Ugandan national honour awarded in recognition of outstanding service to the state.^[15] He received the decoration during Labour Day celebrations in 2023.^[18]