Seven women who run the show in Kamuli

With a first deputy prime minister and minister for East African Community Affairs, a minister for the Presidency, two women legislators, a woman district comander and two resident district commissioners, Kamuli District has been gifted with more women running the administrative and political wings.

ROSE BIRUNGI

She is the current resident district commissioner (RDC) of Kamuli District. Prior to this appointment, she served as a mass mobiliser and deputy RDC for Kayunga District. Her goal is to deal with the intrigue, infights in Kamuli and create unity, steer productivity and fight household poverty. With her deputy, she wants to ensure government programmes and services reach people at the grassroot as well as offer accountable leadership. Birungi, the pioneer political mobiliser, is a professional in Stenography. She says the biggest challenge of working women is that they are judged by the stability of their homes and often underlooked by male chauvinists. “It is not about affirmative action or equality but all about overcoming male chauvinism and rising above the occasion as women,” she points out. Birungi urges women to dedicate their time to the job and balance it with family obligation arguing that it is the job that sustains the family. ‘‘Do not be too busy for the family. Support your spouse, communicate, demonstrate faithfulness and add value to yourself,’’ she urges. She advises mothers to invest in children by having quality time and paying attention to their upbringing as opposed to delegating this responsibility to relatives or househelps. Birungi does not believe in being a desk officer. Her mantle is serving people irrespective of their status. Birungi was a mass mobiliser for Mpigi, Kisoro, Mubende, Mukono and Kayunga Districts. She has also served as RDC for the districts of Luwero, ,Bugweri and now Kamuli. She was awarded a National Independence Gold medal, model farmer NAADS Award and Model leader Award Luwero and Kayunga Districts.

TAPPY NAMULONDO

She started out as a sub-county chief and rose through the ranks to become the assistant chief administrative officer (CAO) and the town clerk of Kamuli. Asked what impact she wants to have on the people of Kamuli District, Namulondo says, she is working towards making Kamuli a model district, resolving conflicts that are deterring growth and development and improving the general performance of civil servants. “Staff appointments, confirmation and promotions are a cornerstone of my targets. It is sickening for a civil servant to retire before being confirmed or to have an officer in acting position for a decade,” she says.

With a Master’s in Business Administration, a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science, Namulondo is ready to rise above challenges and deliver services to the people of Kamuli. “I love working under challenging situations as an underdog and get self-satisfaction when I deliver victory and as Paul guides in Galatians chapter 6 verse 9 never get tired of doing good.  I build a team of willing service delivery warriors and hit the field running,” she assured. She rose from a sub-county chief to principal township officer to Busembatia, municipal town clerk of Rukungiri, Njeru, Mbale, deputy CAO of Kaliro to full CAO of Bududa and now Kamuli.

To build stronger families for the greater good of the nation, Namulondo urges working women to remain principled and focused. She was recognised as the

Best Foreign student in Public Policy and Management in Netherlands University, Best District-Bududa as CAO in Health and Education Customer Care Award by Clients Charter and Good Performer as Town Clerk recognition Award by Iganga District. Aside from administrative work, she is also a fish and poultry farmer in Iganga.

REBECCA AYETA –DPC

Straight after the cadet training, she was deployed to serve as an officer in-charge (OC) Station of Ndejje University Campus. The martial artist and a battle drill commander wants to change the mindset of female police officers to engage in complex tasks and improve their leadership capacities. As a police commander, she wants victims of the rising defilement cases in Kamuli District to get justice. Through community policing and employing her psychology degree, Ayeta wants to talk to men and also girls out of underage marriages. “Information, communication and engagement outreaches to build public confidence and open up information flow for tips and response will get us going,” she says. Ayeta   is one of the youngest district police commanders who commands respect from both the public and the Force.  During the cadet training, she was the battle drill commander. She has since served as an OC of Salama, Munyonyo, Luwero CPS and Kalaki District.  At one point, she rode a motorcycle for two and half years penetrating communities and appreciated the trials and tribulations of officers and community feedback. She is tough on parents, defilers, child abusers and cases of domestic violence. She wants women to be at the forefront in the fight against poverty and domestic violence. When she is not doing her policing role, she is in the garden growing eucalyptus trees or tending to cattle.

BARODA WATONGOLA KAYAGA

She is the Member of Parliament for Kamuli Municipality in the 11th Parliament. Previously, she served as a vice chairperson for Africa Women Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in Nigeria. She also sits on the Committee of Agriculture and Human Rights in Parliament.

At the local level, she is the mobiliser for Muslim Youth Rights Group Busoga Chapter. Baroda Watongola is the daughter of the late Rehema Watongola, the former Member of Parliament for Kamuli Municipality. She is a rising star, who is struggling to ink her name and capabilities out of her mother’s shadow. Baroda says she wants to reach out to vulnerable communities as well as bridge the gap between youth aspirations and learn lessons from the elderly.

“I want fair politics, not intrigue.  I want to to encourage the young generation to learn from old guards and invest their youthful energies in productive ventures,” she says.

SARAH KASADHA MWEBAZA - DEPUTY RDC

Sarah Kasadha wants to change the perception and use the RDC office as a public mobilisation platform towards supporting, utilisation and promotion of government programmes. Before her appointment, she was the chairperson of Mukono Women’s League. She was also awarded by Buganda Kingdom for the central role she played in leading and mobilising women in Buganda region. She also scooped the National Independence Gold Medal Award in 2016, for her dedication and selfless service to the country and in the mobilisation of women. Kasadha was a class leader of Girl Students Uganda chapter in South Delhi Women Polytechnic India. Outside RDC work, she is a farmer and a counsellor for youth on adolescent reproductive health rights and skills. “I want to use this office to champion education and ensure a vibrant enforcement against teenage pregnancies, child marriages and give young mothers a voice to be given a second chance to go to school,” she adds. Top on her agenda is fighting for justice for people and giving women space to speak out, be visible and heard. Given her troubled past haunted by women struggle to raise children, Kasadha has zero tolerance for child and women abusers. 

REBECCA ALITWALA KADAGA

She is perhaps one of the longest serving public figures that need no introduction. In 2019, she was named among the 100 Most Influential African Women. The first deputy prime minister and minister for East African Community Affairs is a woman of firsts. She is the first woman to be elected Speaker in the history of the Parliament of Uganda. She has represented Kamuli District women in Parliament for an uninterrupted period of 27 years, having been first elected in 1989 as a National Resistance Council member. Kadaga served as the Inter-Parliamentary Union President, African Region and the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians. Kadaga has received several honours for her work, which include the Golden Jubilee Award and the Grand Officer of the Republic of Benin from the President of Benin.

MILLY BABALANDA

Babalanda rose to the limelight as leader of Busoga Rural Development Agency- BRUDA, as women mobiliser. In 2014, she was appointed as deputy RDC for Busia District. She was later deployed as the assistant head of the NRM national chairman’s office at Mbuya, headed by Molly Kamukama Nawe.

Later, after the 2016 elections she was appointed as senior presidential advisor on political affairs and head of the NRM national chairman’s office. This is the office where she served until her appointment as minister in-charge of the Presidency.

It is this exposure and working with majority of the heads of government agencies that she wants to use as a platform to deliver services to the people of Kamuli.

She looks up to Ms Lucy Nakyobe and Gen Proscovia Nalweyiso for their leadership acumen.  “Our impact will be measured by our sacrifices and contributions. Leadership is about understanding the interests of the appointing authority, understanding your role and respecting the team members. You do not need to be a PhD holder to deliver,” she says.

Her assignment is to provide leadership in public policy management and support efforts aimed at improving service delivery.