Fish vendor becomes Uganda's youngest serving MP

Hellen Auma Wandera is set to become the youngest member of Uganda's new parliament.

The 23-year-old university graduate won the Woman MP seat for the governing NRM party in Busia District, eastern Uganda, in January's elections.

Before graduating in 2019 she used to work for her mother's fish-selling business, the Daily Monitor newspaper reports. She would deep-fry the fish and sell to her college mates.

Ms Auma told the newspaper she joined politics "under God's direction", and campaigned using motorcycle taxis and walked door-to-door to meet voters. Members of her party call her Mama Busia.

Her party, the National Resistance Movement, last month shared a video in which she describes her journey into politics.

Newly elected MPs have been taking oaths of allegiance since Monday and the exercise will continue until later in the week.

Uganda's youngest-ever MP was Proscovia Alengot Oromait who was elected in 2011 as MP for Usuk County aged 19.

Source: BBC