Betty Amongi Akena, (née Betty Amongi Ongom), but commonly known as Betty Amongi, is a

Ugandan }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southe ...

politician. She is the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development in the

Cabinet of Uganda There are 32 Cabinet ministers and 50 Ministers of State in the Cabinet of Uganda (2021 to 2026). According to Section 111 of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda, as amended in 2005, "There shall be a Cabinet which shall consist of the President, t ...

, as of 9 June 2021. Previously, she served as the Cabinet Minister of Kampala Capital City and before that, from 6 June 2016 until 14 December 2019, she served as the Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Uganda's cabinet. She is also the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

member of parliament representing the Oyam South Constituency in the 11th Parliament ( 2021 to 2026).

Background and education

Betty Amongi was born in

Oyam District Oyam District is a district in Northern Uganda. Like most Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Oyam, where the district headquarters are located. Location Oyam District is bordered by Gulu District to the north, Pader District ...

Lango sub-region Lango sub-region is a region in Uganda covering an area of 15,570.7km consisting of the districts of: *Alebtong District, Alebtong *Amolatar District, Amolatar *Apac District, Apac *Dokolo District, Dokolo *Kole District, Kole *Lira Distric ...

, in the Northern Region of Uganda, on 15 November 1975. In 1996, she entered

Makerere University Makerere University, Kampala (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922. It became an independent national university in 1970. Today, Makerere University is composed of ni ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in political science and public administration. Later in 2009, she was awarded a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

International relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

and Diplomatic studies.

Career

Betty Amongi was first elected to parliament in 2001 as the woman member of parliament for Oyam district and was re-elected in 2006 before being elected as the woman member for parliament for Oyam South in 2011 and 2016. In a surprise move following the 20 February 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections, President Yoweri Museveni of the ruling

National Resistance Movement The National Resistance Movement ( sw, Harakati za Upinzani za Kitaifa; abbr. NRM) has been the ruling party in Uganda since 1986. History The National Resistance Movement (NRM) was founded as a liberation movement that waged a guerrilla ...

political party, named her Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, despite her affiliation to the opposition

Uganda People's Congress The Uganda People's Congress (UPC; sw, Congress ya Watu wa Uganda) is a political party in Uganda. UPC was founded in 1960 by Milton Obote, who led the country to independence and later served two presidential terms under the party's banner ...

. In a cabinet reshuffle on 14 December 2019, she was named cabinet minister of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

Capital City, switching dockets with

Beti Kamya-Turwomwe Beti Olive Namisango Kamya-Turomwe, also known as Betty Kamya and Beti Kamya, is a businesswoman and politician in Uganda, the third-largest economy in the East African Community. She is the Inspector General of Government in Uganda, since 16 J ...

, who took over at Lands, Housing and Urban Development. In June 2021, Amongi was appointed Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development in the new

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

Personal

On 6 April 2013, Betty Amongi married Jimmy Akena, the member of Parliament for Lira Municipality and president of the opposition Uganda People's Congress. Jimmy Akena is the son of

Milton Obote Apollo Milton Obote (28 December 1925 – 10 October 2005) was a Ugandan political leader who led Uganda to independence from British colonial rule in 1962. Following the nation's independence, he served as prime minister of Uganda from 1962 to ...

, the two-time former Prime Minister and President of Uganda. The traditional marriage took place in Minakulu sub-county, Oyam District and was attended by 32 members of parliament. President Yoweri Museveni, a friend of the couple, also attended the wedding.

References

External links

Website of the Parliament of UgandaBetty Amongi, Obote’s Maruzi Country Deserves Much Better

Mini BioBrief Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amongi, Betty Living people Oyam District People from Oyam District 21st-century Ugandan women politicians 21st-century Ugandan politicians Members of the Parliament of Uganda Government ministers of Uganda Northern Region, Uganda 1975 births Lango people Makerere University alumni Women government ministers of Uganda Women members of the Parliament of Uganda

Background and education

Career

Personal

See also

References

External links