Uganda’s trailblazing politician and women’s rights advocate, Rhoda Nsibirwa Kalema, has passed away at the age of 96, her family has announced.
Kalema died in Nairobi, Kenya, where she had been undergoing treatment in hospital.
Biography
Rhoda Kalema was one of 24 children of Martin Luther Nsibirwa, who was twice appointed Katikkiro of Buganda.
Born in 1929, Kalema attended Gayaza Junior School for a year, and then King’s College Buddo for the remainder of her primary and secondary schooling.
She enrolled in a commercial course in secretarial training, and worked as secretary and bursar at Gayaza High School until 1949.
In 1950, she married William , a teacher at King’s College Budo who later became a renowned politician and Government Minister of Commerce.
In 1955 she commenced a one year course in Social Work and Social Administration at Newbattle Abbey , an Adult Education College in the United Kingdom, then a diploma in Social Studies at the University of Edinburgh.
Political career
n 1961, Grace Ibingira and Adoko Nyekon initiated Rhoda Kalema into UPC. She was a junior minister of Culture and Community Development in Binaisa’s government
However, after the death of her husband who was abducted and killed by Amin’s government in 1972, she gave up political participation until 1979 when, after Idi Amin’s ‘s downfall, she joined the National Consultative Council (NCC) formed by Uganda National Liberation Front under Edward Rugumayo as one of the two female representatives.
In 1980 she was one of the founding members of the Uganda Patriotic Movement(UPM).
She became Deputy Minister of Public Service from 1989 until 1991 under President Museveni and in 1994, she stood for the Constituent Assembly elections as the Kiboga representative, and defeated 8 male opponents after scooping two thirds of the entire vote.
This cemented her position as a champion of women participation in Ugandan politics.
Rhoda Kalema said she learnt from her father that politics is about people, not slogans or rallies, and that if society is not properly governed; human beings are bound to object and express what they want.
She later retired from politics after grooming a number of notable politicians
Rhoda Kalema was honoured in 1996 by Uganda’s Forum for Women in Democracy “as a transformative leader”.
In 2018, Pepperdine University School of Law honored her with the Sudreau Global Justice Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rhoda Kalema will be remembered as a fearless leader and a relentless advocate for justice, equity, and women’s empowerment in Uganda.
