Uganda’s cyber queens

Today, as the global village grows, everyone is moving everything online; from politics and business to social campaigns and engagements.

Micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are already widely populated wagons, and still people are opening up personal blogs to push their ideas. With the growth of the online population, it is easy for your voice to get swallowed up in the sea of faceless humanity on the internet.

Nonetheless, there are women who have managed actually leave visible footprints online in Uganda. Women who have used the internet to assert their influence, and others who has realised the opportunity this growth of an online population presents and seized it to develope and grow careers from it or run businesses.These are Uganda’s cyber queens, from whose stories we can learn a thing or two about the resource that is cyber space.

Rosebell Kagumire, Digital Communication Strategist and blogger

A Makerere University graduate of Mass Communication, 32-year-old Rosebell Kagumire also holds a Master’s degree in Media, Peace and Conflict studies from the United Nations Mandate University for Peace in Costa Rica.

Her almost 27,000 loyal followers on Twitter have made her a significant opinion leader as her insights and views on social justice, governance in Uganda, migrants’ rights and cross-border politics are heavily re-echoed by most of her following. But Kagumire’s online voice did not just gain the weight yesterday.
As she shared with us, Kagumire has been forming the direction for the debate since 2007. “I always talked about governance and justice on my blog, Rosebell’s blog, long before Uganda’s internet community bent toward micro-blogging sites such as Facebook and Twitter,” she says.

In 2009, her blog won the Waxal-Blogging African Awards, which were the first African blogging journalist awards hosted by Paros Institute of West Africa.

Kagumire gained more online traction in 2012 when her live blogs punched holes in the Kony2012 documentary that attracted international attention. It saw Al Jazeera invite her for a video commentary on the subject. “But Kony2012 did not make me. By that time, I had gained traction already. I had over 3,000 followers on twitter already and I was gaining fast.” Nonetheless, mostly for her role in the Kony2012, she was in 2013 recognised by The World Economic Forum among Young Global Leaders Under 40.

You could say that Kagumire’s online activities have gained her international recognition and allowed her to be heard worldwide. She has worked with various media houses in the country including NTV, Daily Monitor, The Independent and also worked as the Social Media Manager for the International Organisation for Migration. Currently, she is a freelance journalist, digital communication strategist and a blogger.

Anne Whitehead, Director, Whitehead Communications

The Canadian national that is now living in Uganda likes to think of herself as a go-getter, or you could say, a hustler. “I have been working since I was 13, doing jobs from cleaning toilets to farming to waitressing. I took no short-cuts and I’m proud of my hustle.”

Today, Whitehead is the brain behind Whitehead Communications, a company that is footing Public Relations for organisations such as the Uganda Women’s Cancer Support Organisation, and personalities including local musician Bobi Wine. She specialises in proposal and online content development, cordination of media coverage of events for their clients and developing communication strategy. The 29-year-old holds a Master’s degree in Communications with specialty in Cross-cultural proposals from Ryerson University. She had lived in Uganda around 2009 before moving back to Canada where she started freelancing as a communications specialist immediately after completing her Master’s degree.

“That was in 2012. I had an office job in Canada then, but kept taking on communication clients on the side. That is how it started,” she recounts.

In 2014, following the long and dreadful winters in Canada, Whitehead made the decision to come back to the warmer Uganda that she had fallen in love with, and moved along with her company, Whitehead Communications, which has since grown into a communications power house. It’s operations ride on her massive presence online.

Sarah Kagingo, Director, Soft Power Communications

In April 2014, when President Museveni sent out his first tweet, the President himself was not the person behind the computer. It was Sarah Kagingo kick-starting her role as Special Presidential Assistant for Communication, a job which basically entailed managing social media for State House and the President.

Kagingo, now 39, did the job for two years, often giving Ugandans a peak into the softer and lighter side of their president because, as she says, many Ugandan did not know their president.

“They only looked at President Museveni as a very serious person, the kind they only see attending very important meetings and at rallies talking matters of national importance. They did not see his lighter side. So, my job was more about creating a personal connection between Ugandans and their President and, of course, keeping them in the loop on what the President was up to,” Kagingo explains.

Following this role, which got her noticed by a wider Ugandan population, Kagingo gained her own attention on social media.

However, she had enjoyed fair online success before that. Having served as the second female Guild President at Makerere University, where she studied Information Science, Kagingo joined social media earlier on in a bid to bring together the scattered Makerere University alumnus, later turning the focus of her social media accounts to the sharing and promotion of Uganda’s beauty, tourism, trade potential and opportunities.

“I am very passionate about this country and in love with its beauty. I wanted to share this with the world. It was this effort to promote Uganda’s tourism and trade through social media that I got the job at State House,” she reveals.

Currently Kagingo works as the Director Soft Power Communications, a company she founded that specialises in offering Public relations, Social media strategy, digital diplomacy, destination marketing and other communication consultancy services.

Stella Nyanzi, Writer and Medical anthropologist with Makerere Institute of Research

Twitter may not be her playing field, perhaps because of Twitter’s tiny window of 140 characters that may not accomodate her prolific writing. We can only speculate, however, as the only place you can readily get Stella Nyanzi is on Facebook. This is where Naynzi takes most of the party to fast-growing following, currently well-over 40,000.

She is candid in her posts, often writing about matters sexual without any inihibitions and at times, dishing out ideas on various other topics, still using sexual metaphors.

The Nnalongo (mother of twins) has written powerful letters with clear word graphics, artistically talking about her intentions to make love to the president or threats to burn her womanhood in case certain political scales do not tip in her favour.
That is her kind of style that many people now find more interesting than appalling.

When she is not busy raising dust, Nyanzi is keen on sharing tips and insights on parenting, women empowerment and governance, or sharing travel experiences with her intrigued followers.
An online search reveals she holds a PhD from the University of London based on ethnographic fieldwork of youth sexualities, sexual and reproductive health in Gambia.

Grace Natabaalo, Programmes Associate, ACME

With a loyal Twitter following of almost 39,000 people, 32-year-old Grace Natabaalo wields some influence on social media. Her earlier works as a journalist might have played a role in helping her garner the following, as she often used her platform to share most of her discoveries.

“In 2011, my Twitter account became a hot go-to site for information on the Walk to Work demonstrations, and I did not break the wave after that. I continued sharing information on other issues beyond that,” Natabaalo recalls.

As is norm, social media numbers usually translate into cash, with companies and personalities approaching noticeable users with the numbers to back products and campaigns. This is an opportunity Natabaalo seizes cautiously. “I have always chosen to only throw my weight behind companies, products, campaigns and ideas I am passionate about. I want to promote something I believe in. Beside, people will always notice when you are tweeting for money, and there is a way it devalues your opinion.”

Natabalo says she is a strong advocate for women and governance issues, and much as she gives many other topics the time of day on her social media, these are the issues she has often chosen to be most vocal about.

Currently, Natabaalo works as a Programmes Associate at the African Centre for Media Excellence (ACME).

Patricia Kahill, blogger and Director - Kahill Insights

Having started her blog, PKahill Insights in 2010, Patricia Kahill could easily be tagged a writer. But like she has often come out to reveal, she has no single self-talent that she could claim. “Rather, I am a girl of many hats, only driven by curiosity and passion.”

The 29-year-old Mbarara University graduate of Development Studies started her blog with the intention of using social media to market for companies, going on to soon incorporate her random thoughts as part of the content, thereby growing her readership.

All this while, she had been employed as a social media manager, but in 2014, following the growth of her blog, Kahill quit her job to start a company of her own, Kahill Insights, which offers digital media services, mainly content creation and marketing. “I had realised the potential out there and wanted to explore it on my own, having gained the skills. Besides, I like being my own boss, which is one of the reasons I set out on my own.”

She is a believer in the business viability of digital and online undertakings because, as she asserts, “One can make money online.” Her clients include Unilever and BOP Uganda. She has also had a hand in the online promotions and campaigns such as Reach a Hand, The Social Media Summit Uganda, and Child Health Now.