Special Presidential Advisor in Charge of Research and information Morrison Rwakakamba has hailed Kosiya Kikira as a good man. This is what he had to say via facebook after Kosiya had been posthumously awarded a meritorious certificate in Public service yesterday by Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda.
“Kosiya Kikira was today honored as Kigundu reign wound up. He was Chairman Electoral Commission in 1980. I met him as a young Rukungiri man. I spent nights at his home – he was calm, collected and a teacher. A grand master of Public administration. His sense of Public service is something I have not experienced in a while. I was a nobody trying to figure out stuff- and his grand boy Andrew Kikira Ankunda was with me. Kosiya debunked his pedigree, renegotiated loyalities and came with me to my village Nyeibingo to help us distribute wheel Chairs and condoms in 2005. He wanted to save his people. He also believed in us teenagers. We all need someone to believe in us. What a life he lived. He was a public servant. He was Rutakirwa of Kigezi. He loved to walk. He loved to waltz. He loved great whisky. Glad he was honored today”.
Kosiya’s Reign : 1980-1985
After the overthrow of Idi Amin’s military regime by the Uganda National Liberation Front (UNLF) in 1979, the transitional government, the Military Commission, appointed an Electoral Commission headed by Kosiya M.S. Kikira, to organise and conduct General Elections in 1980. Other members of the Commission were S. Egweu, Kera A. Bilali, and M. Matovu, with Vincent Sekkono as the Secretary.
Four political parties participated in this election held on 10th and 11th December, 1980, namely, the Conservative Party (CP), the Democratic Party (DP), the Uganda Patriotic Movement (UPM) and the Uganda Peoples’ Congress (UPC). Four ballot boxes were used at each polling station, one for each political party.
At the closure of polling, Mr. Muwanga Paulo, the Chairman of the ruling Military Council, took over control of Electoral Commission, and declared he was the only one to announce the final election results.
UPC was eventually declared winner of the elections; however, DP and UPM disputed the results; and a guerilla war ensued, involving several fighting groups opposed to the UPC government led by Apollo Milton Obote. The government was overthrown in a military coup on 25th July 1985, just as preparations for General Elections were underway.
In January 1986, the National Resistance Army (NRA), led by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, overthrew the military government and established the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government.

