Women’s Day: Here are the ten most inspirational women in Uganda right now

This year’s International Women’s Day theme according to the United Nations Women (UN Women) is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights,” and to mark this day, Nile Post has compiled a list of some of the most inspirational women in the country right now.

Some of these are feminists, some are very controversial while some are relatively unknown. What cuts across all of them is that they have all made moves that have challenged the normal and inspired many.

Here is the list in no particular according to our reporter Jonah Kirabo;

Quiin Abenakyo

Born 1996, Quiin Abenakyo is a model and Miss Uganda 2018 who’s name needs no further introduction having represented the country at the December 2018 Miss World finals in Sanya, China.

Abenakyo didn’t just represent us, but went ahead to beat a head to head challenge at the Miss World stage, finished among the top 5 overall and became the first Ugandan to be crowned Miss World Africa.

Why she inspires us; Abenakyo didn’t just become Miss World Africa but also a symbol of hope that a girl can come from deep down in Mayuge District and become a continental queen. Despite handing over the crown, Abenakyo continues to influence the life of a less advantaged girl child through her Quiin Abenakyo Foundation that she launched in 2019. We celebrate you, Abenakyo.

Anna Ebaju Adeke

Born 27 November 1991, Anna Adeke is a lawyer and Member of Parliament representing the National Female Youth Constituency in the 10th parliament.

Why she inspires us; Adeke’s life is a story worth telling. She attended local elementary schools, ate local food and graduated from not The University of Liverpool or Harvard but our own Makerere University and did her legal practice from the Law Development Center. She was a guild president during her time at Makerere from 2013 to 2014. Her list of achievements could go on.

Shamim Malende

This name is very popular around very many courts of law and in ‘People Power’ circles. Shamim Malende is the head of legal for People Power Women League and she is the only woman on Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu alias Bobi Wine’s legal team. Malende was born in December 1986.

In 2019 alone, she had successfully worked on 100 people power files where 25 of the cases were dismissed, 65 were still pending as of January 2020 and 10 were still reporting on police bond.

Why she inspires us; Resilience. Getting your head in the murky waters of politics is not for the weak.

Stella Nyanzi

Huh! Still confused about how to introduce this one. Born on June 16, 1974, Stella Nyanzi is a medical anthropologist, feminist, queer rights activist and scholar of sexuality, family planning, and public health according to Wikipedia.

Nyanzi is made up of granite with a volcano inside. The international press likes to call her ‘one of Africa’s most prominent gender rights activists of her time’. She was recently awarded the 2020 Oxfam Novib/PEN International award due to her poems and writings that have drawn her a huge fan base both in and out of the country. She’s an inspiration to all aspiring and established writers.

Why she inspires us; the length she’s willing to move on what she believes in is admirable.

Rebecca Kadaga

A list of inspirational women in Uganda is never complete without Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, the Speaker of Parliament, a position she’s held since May 2011.

In the history of Uganda, ever since the independence fete in 1962, Kadaga was the first woman to be elected Speaker in the Ugandan parliament. She has since went on to inspire a lot of Ugandans with how she has held that position, controlled parliament and challenged decisions that impact us all.

Lilly Ajarova

Lilly Ajarova was born in 1969. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB). She is charged with promoting destination Uganda as the best tourism destination in the world, which is not an easy task.

If you wanted evidence that women, when entrusted with power deliver magic, then go to Lugogo Bypass (UTB Headquarters) and meet Ajarova. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Sociology from Makerere University and a Masters of Business Administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) and many other qualifications.

Her integrity, administrative and marketing skills are what draws us to her.

Winnie Byanyima

Winnie Byanyima is an aeronautical engineer, politician, and diplomat. To many Ugandans, her name screams hope and resonates with what a woman can achieve if she believes in herself a little more.

Byanyima was appointed as the executive director of the UNAIDS by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres following a comprehensive selection process. Before this, she served as the Oxfam International executive director.

Christine Turamuhawe

She may be relatively less known but Christine Turamuhawe is up there with some of the strong women that this country has seen.

A third-year International Business student at Makerere University Business School (MUBS) who babysits and cleans people’s clothes for upkeep.

In this era of social media where a number of youth use these platforms to appear rich rather than actually being rich, Turamuhawe uses her social media following to market her cleaning business, get dirty and put in the work to earn her money.

She currently employs ten other students and if this is not inspiration, then I don’t know what it is.

Vanessa Nakate

Vanessa Nakate is another MUBS product having graduated from Makerere with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in January 2019.

Nakate uses her sales skills not to sell tangible products or services but to sell the call for climate action in Uganda and elsewhere. She is the founder of the Rise Up Movement and has since inspired many into climate activism.

She started her climate strikes in 2018 on the streets of Nakawa, took the strikes outside Parliament, then on the streets of Kampala, New York, Madrid, Davos and rubbed shoulders with famous climate activists and experts.

Her resilience has influenced many youth and policymakers into interesting themselves into the climate change topic and this is why she makes the list.

Barbie Kyagulanyi

The wife to politician cum singer Bobi Wine is definitely one of those that this country continues to draw inspiration from especially from her love story with the pop star, which dates back in 2000.

Her husband asserts that she has been a strong pillar in his rise to stardom and besides being a helper, Barbie is an activist, philanthropist and defender of the girl child rights through her charity organization called Caring Heart Uganda.