KAMPALA, Uganda — Anita Rukundo Tayebwa, wife of Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa, has taken up the role of honorary consul of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in Uganda, with a focus on promoting tourism, trade and private sector cooperation between the two countries.
Rukundo Tayebwa presented her Letters of Credence to Foreign Affairs Minister Adonia Ayebare on Thursday evening at the ministry’s headquarters in Kampala, formally taking up the honorary role.
Her appointment does not make her an ambassador. The two positions carry different responsibilities, legal status and privileges. An ambassador is a country’s senior diplomatic representative, usually based at an embassy, and handles broad government to government relations. An honorary consul, by contrast, performs limited consular functions and helps promote commercial, cultural and other ties between countries.
Honorary consuls are typically private citizens who serve on a voluntary basis rather than as full time foreign service employees. Their responsibilities may include assisting nationals, supporting business contacts and promoting tourism. Unlike ambassadors, they do not enjoy full diplomatic immunity, and their legal protections are generally limited to acts performed in the exercise of their authorised consular duties.
Speaking after the ceremony, Rukundo Tayebwa said she would prioritise tourism and private sector links, pointing to the different strengths of Uganda and The Bahamas as an opportunity for cooperation.
She cited tourism figures showing that The Bahamas received more than 12.5 million visitors in 2025 and earned about $5.27 billion in tourism receipts. Uganda, meanwhile, recorded about 1.64 million international arrivals and approximately $1.62 billion in tourism earnings over the same period.
Uganda’s tourism sector continued to recover and expand, with international arrivals rising 19.7% in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to the figures cited at the ceremony. Tourism receipts reached about $1.62 billion, equivalent to roughly 5.8 trillion Ugandan shillings. Average spending per trip was about $986, while visitors stayed an average of 8.8 nights.
The Bahamas recorded a record 12.5 million visitors in 2025, an 11.4% increase from the previous year, according to its Ministry of Tourism, Investments and Aviation. Cruise passengers accounted for more than 10.6 million visits, while stopover visitors arriving mainly by air numbered about 1.8 million.
The difference matters when comparing tourism earnings and visitor spending. Cruise passengers generally spend less per visit in a destination than tourists who stay overnight, making visitor numbers alone an incomplete measure of tourism’s economic contribution.
Rukundo Tayebwa identified destination marketing, hospitality, resort development and visitor experience management as possible areas of cooperation. She also pointed to partnerships among tour operators, hotels, airlines and tourism authorities, including the development of travel packages that could encourage visitors to experience attractions in both countries.
Ayebare welcomed the appointment and expressed hope that the honorary consul would help Uganda identify practices and opportunities that could strengthen its tourism industry.
Deputy Speaker Tayebwa, who accompanied his wife to the ceremony, described the role as a voluntary commitment of time and resources. He expressed confidence in her ability to carry out the responsibilities, citing her involvement in family business activities.
Uganda and The Bahamas do not maintain resident embassies in each other’s capitals, making the honorary consulate a potential channel for closer business and tourism links. Formal diplomatic relations, however, remain distinct from the work of an honorary consul and continue through the countries’ existing diplomatic arrangements.
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