Statecraft & Independence
Landmark
Rebecca Kadaga
born 1956
Uganda's first woman Speaker of Parliament
Landmark is level 2 of 4 in the Uganda Hall of Fame: a first that opened a door, or the pre-eminent figure of their generation in this country. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
The first woman ever to preside over Uganda's parliament, who held the chair for a decade and used it with a good deal more independence than the executive expected.
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga trained as a lawyer, went into private practice in Jinja, and entered parliament in 1989 as a woman representative for Kamuli.
She held ministerial posts and was deputy speaker before being elected Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda in 2011 — the first woman to hold the office — and re-elected in 2016, serving until 2021. She was also elected to chair the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
She used the chair. She repeatedly ruled against the government's business, sent ministers away to answer questions properly, and pressed on the conduct of the executive in ways Ugandan speakers had generally not. Her record is genuinely mixed: she was a forceful advocate for women's representation, for maternal health funding and against female genital mutilation, and she was also among the most prominent supporters of the anti-homosexuality legislation, describing its passage as a gift to the nation. She became First Deputy Prime Minister in 2021.
She held ministerial posts and was deputy speaker before being elected Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda in 2011 — the first woman to hold the office — and re-elected in 2016, serving until 2021. She was also elected to chair the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.
She used the chair. She repeatedly ruled against the government's business, sent ministers away to answer questions properly, and pressed on the conduct of the executive in ways Ugandan speakers had generally not. Her record is genuinely mixed: she was a forceful advocate for women's representation, for maternal health funding and against female genital mutilation, and she was also among the most prominent supporters of the anti-homosexuality legislation, describing its passage as a gift to the nation. She became First Deputy Prime Minister in 2021.
Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will check it.