The National Chairperson of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Women’s League, Adrine Kobusingye, has shared her personal story of resilience, sacrifice and determination, describing how a difficult upbringing and early entrepreneurial hustle shaped her path to national leadership.
Speaking to Mildred Tuhaise during the NBS People and Power programme on Sunday, Kobusingye reflected on her childhood and the sacrifices made by her family to ensure she received an education.
Kobusingye revealed that she is the firstborn in a family of 12 children and credited her father’s strong belief in her abilities as a defining factor in her life.
“My father loved me so much. Unlike many men who never believed in girls, my father believed in me as a girl to the extent that he would say if I grew up, I would chase away poverty,” she said.
She also recounted a painful moment in her education when her immediate sister had to step aside in Senior Four so that Kobusingye could continue her studies at a better school.
“Some land had to be sold, and my mother divorced my father over that decision,” she said, underscoring the sacrifices her family endured in order to support her education.
While studying at Maryhill High School, Kobusingye began engaging in small-scale business activities to support herself and her family. She said she sold mandazi and sweets to fellow students, an experience that sparked her entrepreneurial instincts.
“I would sell mandazi to students and make a clean Shs20,000. I would also sell sweets in class. My dream was to make sure our house got cemented and to buy sofa sets,” she said.
After completing her university education at Makerere University, where she studied Development Studies, Kobusingye moved to Kampala in search of employment. However, she said finding a job proved difficult.
“Being in Kampala was about survival,” she explained. “A friend gave me Shs700,000, and I randomly went to Nasser and started working there, doing business cards, wedding cards, printing receipt books, and other services.”
Her experience working around Nasser Road, widely known as a hub for printing and small businesses in Kampala, helped lay the foundation for her entrepreneurial career and strengthened her work ethic.
Today, Kobusingye is recognised as a businesswoman and political leader from Bushenyi District who has built her career around community service and women’s empowerment.
She said her leadership approach focuses on transformational leadership, inclusive development and expanding economic opportunities for women across the country.
“I have worked all my life, and when someone comes to me crying, I tell them: ‘Can you work? If you are not a worker, you have no relationship with me,’” she said.
Kobusingye said empowering women economically and politically remains central to national development, adding that she continues to advocate for greater participation of women in politics, business and community leadership through mentorship and entrepreneurship initiatives.