Kyambadde’s passion for those in need

The astonishing thing about Amelia Kyambadde is her easygoing nature. She smiles easily and talks readily, setting one at ease. And when it comes to women, she talks with unmistakable passion.

“The rural woman is my hero,” she says, continuing, “Waking up at 5am, she goes to the garden or market struggling to provide for her family.” This, from a woman who grew up in luxury.

Kyambadde was born in 1955, in Guildford, Surrey, UK, to two students; Serwano Kulubya and Mary Kafureka. When the relationship soured, Kulubya remained with his baby and brought her to Uganda five years later.

“My grandparents took me to Gayaza Juniour School where I was exposed to the other side of life. Some girls came to school without the basics. It was a revelation! I was eight but I decided to balance the world of the privileged with that of the underprivileged. That has been my life’s goal.”

Tackling social service deficiencies
However, it would take the former principal private secretary (PPS) about 43 years to register Twezimbe Development Foundation (TDF) in 2006, the vehicle for her social work.

“In Muduuma, in my constituency (Mawokota County North), mothers had given up on ARVs because of the stigma, long distances to health centres, and fees. People were dying, so I lobbied for support and built an HIV/Aids centre that has attracted Marie Stopes and Mildmay.”

She also refurbished the health centre in her constituency and lobbied for an ambulance from Pastor Robert Kayanja. At Mpigi Health Centre IV, the dilapidated maternal ward delivered 80 babies a month. Partnering with Zhang Group and Sino Africa, she built a modern facility where only last month, 272 women gave birth.

Where does she find the funds to support these innovations? “I set aside Shs5m from my salary every month. I lobby a lot and people respond because there are results. But, what hurts is that my MP colleagues think I am mad.

They tell me to leave the health sector to the government.”
Undaunted, she has embarked on building housing for UPE teachers in Kibumbiro, who are currently living in mud and wattle houses.

On being a career woman
After a cosmopolitan education at Sacred Heart Girls Secondary School in Gulu, Kyambadde joined Aga Khan High School for A-Level where she went through a period of rebellion.

“I did not get along with my stepmother. As an adolescent I needed attention, which I was not getting. I refused to go to university. I had met Mr (Wilson) Kyambadde, so I told my father I wanted to get married. He insisted I needed to have some kind of training.”

Her father sponsored her secretarial training in Nairobi and in 1976, insisted she work in his law firm, Kulubya and Co Advocates, even though she had just gotten married. Three years later, in 1979, she met Yoweri Museveni (then minister of defense) who helped her retrieve her car that had been robbed by Tanzanian soldiers.

“He requested me to help him with his work. We had the same aspirations of uplifting the poor and that strengthened me. However, I went into exile with my family after the elections (1980).”
In 1986, upon her return, Kyambadde became President Museveni’s personal secretary.

She returned to school for her BBA (Makerere University) and MBA (American Intercontinental University, London). From then on, her career took off.

“Discrimination against women still exists. A woman cannot work in merit. There must be ‘a reason’ why she is successful. I feel this is unfair yet we face abuse from male colleagues. Why must you tell me I am beautiful yet I am doing my work? I really feel sorry for younger women.”

Low public service wages are something she has struggled with, especially when her child’s school once informed her that the child was sitting under a tree with other school fees defaulters.

“Imagine!” the mother of seven exclaims, continuing, “You have this powerful job yet your children are being humiliated. People made a big deal out of it, but I resisted the temptation to take ‘gifts’.”

She credits her boss for mentoring her anti-corruption stance. For instance, once, President Muammar Gaddafi sent a delegation to Uganda. “I kept on wondering why the ambassador was calling persistently for me to meet him. Eventually, he came with a long box. It was jewelry. Turquoise blue stones – a present from the Colonel!

The thought of it! I immediately surrendered them to the President who gave them to the IGG. People would drive behind me as I jogged in the morning, offering gifts.”

And when people’s expectations were quashed, it drew anger, jealousy, and negative publicity. They accused her of blocking their access to the President.

In 2011, Kyambadde became the minister of Trade, Industry, and Cooperatives where her achievements are tangible.

Marriage and family
The Trade Minister believes she has missed out on a lot in her marriage. “Marriage in Africa is oppressive because besides your partner, you marry his relatives and community. Forty years ago I thought we would always be in love, and all that.

But career is a diversion which affects communication.” She got to a point where she did not want to tell her husband her constant travels, and this created a wedge.

“When it comes to economics (finances) there is always an imbalance. One is working and earning, and the other one is trying hard. You cannot both struggle so hard, especially if you have children. There are times he stayed at home to look after them, and his work was affected.”
In her day, cultural values meant separation was never an option. “I think I was too busy to think about it. What would people think? But, things are changing. People are cohabiting, polygamy and single motherhood is on the rise.”

Balancing motherhood and career was a challenge because she had to prove her competence to male colleagues. “I worked extra hard, leaving office at 2am or 3am. When I became PPS, I had to prove myself more and my family suffered. I was never there yet my children needed their mother.”

Once, she was recalled to work one and a half months after giving birth. The pressure to resign was high, but then, she was growing in her career and it became difficult to abandon it.

This further estranged her from her family.
“I was traveling a lot. My suitcases were always packed; the one for external travel with business suits, while the internal one had bitengi. My children needed me to communicate. I think it is every working mother’s challenge.”

Joining politics
Kyambadde considers returning to school and joining politics as turning points. “I realised I had gone off track in my vision. I was comfortable in my job. As we were travelling to the UN, I thought of a friend whose daughter had died in labour because they had failed to raise Shs1,000 to travel to the health centre.

I asked myself what I was doing on that plane. I talked to the President and eventually I left because if I helped people as the Principal Private Secretary, it would be construed as corruption.”

First, she visited the labour wards in Mpigi and was shocked by the negligent conditions. Efficient service delivery was just talk; nothing was trickling down. She began buying hospital beds, gloves, and providing solar lighting.

“The local leaders resisted me, so I decided to become a politician to serve my people. Money sent from the government to build health centres, schools, and roads, had been looted. Back then, I remained silent, but now, I call for punitive action; otherwise corruption will eat us up. Indeed, it already has.”

She says in future, MPs should not be ministers because this reduces their time with their constituents, resulting in high turnover every five years.

On uplifting the poor
She decries the lack of funds to tap the potential in rural areas. “Government provided the Youth Livelihood Fund, but local governments are sitting on the money.

Now, people have developed an NGO-dependency syndrome. They want bazungu handouts. The other day, I saw the President launching an NGO of washing hands. Really! These are things teachers and councillors should be teaching children. Youths do not want to work because we are giving out free seedlings. Some policies are holding our people back.”

To address this syndrome, Kyambadde encourages women to form groups and supports them to study short courses, such as, catering and event management.

Concern for the girl child
While helping teenage mothers attain sewing skills, Kyambadde discovered most were impregnated by relatives.

“Incest is a growing evil. What annoys me is that the girls’ mothers tell them to remain silent. These selfish women choose to protect their marriages instead of their daughters.”

The minister advocates sex education in primary schools. “As a young girl, my uncles would touch me. Why would you touch the breasts and bum of a 12-year-old? If I had known it was wrong, maybe I would have reported somewhere. There are so many children going through this (humiliation) because of lack of information.

At the Full Woman camp
Kyabaddde encourages corporate women to help the rural woman who has not been successfully empowered.
“We should impart our skills and emancipate her by offering guidance, financial and material support. You could donate a bed to a health centre every year. Health is expensive world over but we need to strengthen the public-private partnership.” She hopes the Full Woman Health Camp will evolve to involve rural women.