Dr. Halid Kirunda, PhD Chairperson, Uganda Veterinary Council (UVC) Dr. Halid Kirunda is a distinguished veterinary epidemiologist, research leader, and humanitarian governance expert with over 32 years of dedicated public service in Uganda’s agricultural and public health sectors. He is the newly appointed Chairperson of the Uganda Veterinary Council (UVC), where he provides strategic and visionary leadership in strengthening veterinary regulation, professional ethics, and institutional standards under the Veterinary Practitioners Act, 2024. Beyond his role in veterinary governance, Dr. Kirunda serves as Chairman of the Central (National) Governing Board of the Uganda Red Cross Society (URCS) since February 2019 and Chairperson of the Localization Alliance Steering Committee of Africa’s Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies since August 2022. In these capacities, he has championed integrity, accountability, and community trust in humanitarian action, drawing on more than 16 years of leadership at both Branch and National Board levels within URCS. To date, he has held over 34 leadership positions across colleges, universities, research institutions, governance bodies, and professional organisations. Dr. Kirunda currently serves as a Senior Principal Research Officer in Animal Diagnostics and Clinical Trial Research at the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), where he previously held the position of Director of Research for ten years. His professional career began in Iganga District Local Government, where he advanced from Veterinary Assistant and Animal Husbandry Officer to Veterinary Officer before joining NARO in 2006. Over the years, he has led or supervised more than 30 livestock and public health research projects, publishing over 30 peer-reviewed papers, policy briefs, and technical reports that have shaped Uganda’s animal health and disease control strategies. In 2023, he was honoured with the Agricultural Research Award (Product Dissemination) 2022 at the Annual Agricultural Awards, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to translating scientific innovations into practical solutions for farmers and the livestock industry. A scholar of distinction, Dr. Kirunda holds a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology/Public Health, an MSc in Veterinary Preventive Medicine, a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine, a National Diploma in Dairy Science and Technology, and a Veterinary Assistants’ Certificate. He has contributed extensively to national policy and standards development, serving on the Presidential Technical Advisory Committee on Livestock Disease Control, the NARO Research Ethics Committee (as both Chair and Vice-Chair), and several committees on vaccine development and tick-borne disease control. He also served for a decade as a curriculum reviewer for the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and as a member of the Standards Development Committee at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). Dr. Kirunda’s contributions to veterinary public health, livestock productivity, and regulatory governance have earned him national and international recognition. He continues to serve on global scientific platforms, including the Global Alliance for Research on Avian Diseases (GARAD), where he is Regional Adviser for Africa, and the Africa & Middle East Network on Infectious Diseases of Animals and Zoonoses Research (STAR-IDAZ), where he is a member of the Executive Committee. Respected for his ethical leadership, consultative style, and evidence-based decision making, Dr. Kirunda brings to the UVC a unique blend of scientific rigour, governance experience, and humanitarian values—qualities essential to building a credible, transparent, and self-sustaining regulatory institution that protects animal health, ensures food safety, and upholds public trust.