Inonge Mutukwa Wina (born 2 April 1941) is a

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

n politician who served as the 13th vice-president of Zambia from 2015 to 2021. She was the first woman to hold the position, which made her the highest ranking woman in the history of the Zambian government.

Education

Wina attended

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

Senanga Senanga is the capital of the Senanga District, which is located in the Western Province of Zambia. The town is situated on the eastern bank of the Zambezi River, at the southern end of the Barotse Floodplain. It lies on the main road running pa ...

, at the Barotse National School (now Kambule Secondary School) in Mongu. She eventually completed her

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

education at

Santa Monica High School Santa Monica High School, officially abbreviated to SaMoHi, is located in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 1891, it changed location several times in its early years before settling into its present campus at 601 Pico Boulevard. It is a part o ...

in Los Angeles, California. She obtained a diploma in social work at

Santa Monica College Santa Monica College (SMC) is a public, community college in Santa Monica, California. Founded as a junior college in 1929, SMC enrolls over 30,000 students in more than 90 fields of study. Although initially serving primarily pre-college high sc ...

. She also enrolled for a

Bachelor of Arts degree 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 ...

at the

University of Zambia The University of Zambia (UNZA) is a public university located in Lusaka, Zambia. It is Zambia's largest and oldest learning institution. The university was established in 1965 and officially opened to the public on 12 July 1966. The language of ...

when it was first opened.

Community service

Wina's involvement in community work dates back to the early 1970s when she volunteered free service to women's movements. She has served on a number of boards of

non-governmental organisations A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...

and as president of the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

, where she was instrumental in promoting women's human rights agenda, resulting in the Zambian government's establishment of the Victim Support Unit under the

Zambia Police Service The Zambia Police Service is the organisation concerned with maintaining the rule of law in Zambia. It is under the portfolio of the Minister of Home Affairs. History On 24 October 1964 Northern Rhodesia gained independence and became the Republi ...

. In 1996, she was elected National Chairperson of the NGO Coordinating Council of Zambia (NGOCC). In the Red Ribbon Campaign to defend the Zambian Constitution in 2000, Wina led the women's movement. Wina also served on the boards of Refuge Services Zambia, the Zambia Council of Social Services, the University Teaching Hospital, and the

Council in the public sector.

Political career

In 2001 Wina was elected as Member of Parliament of Nalolo Constituency as a candidate of the

United Party for National Development The United Party for National Development (UPND) is a social liberal political party in Zambia, led by Hakainde Hichilema, the current president of the country. The party is an observer member of the Africa Liberal Network. History The UPND was ...

. She was elected chairperson of a number of portfolio committees, including the Committee on Human Rights Gender and Governance, and Women Parliamentary Caucus. Wina re-contested her Nalolo seat as a United Liberal Party candidate in the 2006 presidential and general elections. She lost the election and appealed the results to the High Court; the case was initially decided in her favor, but the Supreme Court eventually overturned it. Wina ran for the Nalolo seat again in the 2011 general elections, this time on the Patriotic Front ticket, and won. Wina was included in President

Michael Sata Michael Charles Chilufya Sata (6 July 1937 – 28 October 2014) was a Zambian politician who was the fifth president of Zambia, from 23 September 2011 until his death on 28 October 2014. A social democrat, he led the Patriotic Front (PF), a maj ...

's initial 18-member cabinet as Minister of Chiefs and Traditional Affairs. On March 8, 2014, Sata, during the commemoration of International Women's Day, upgraded the gender cabinet division into a full ministry and subsequently appointed Wina as Minister of Gender. On 26 January 2015, newly elected President

Edgar Lungu Edgar Chagwa Lungu (born 11 November 1956) is a Zambian politician who served as the sixth president of Zambia from 25 January 2015 to 24 August 2021. Under President Michael Sata, Lungu served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Defence. ...

appointed Wina as

Vice President of Zambia The vice-president of Zambia is the second highest position in the executive branch of the Republic of Zambia. The vice-president was previously appointed by the president before the amendment of the Constitution in 2016. Under the amended Const ...

. She ran on Lungu's ticket in the 2016 election, becoming the first woman elected as Vice President and resigned from the position ahead of the 2021 general election, announcing her intention to retire.

Personal life

She was married to Arthur Wina, an independence fighter, former minister and academic who died on 3 September 1995. They had three children, two of whom are deceased. Arthur Wina was educated at Munali Secondary School which, in colonial times, was Zambia's principal secondary school for native Zambians. A number of the members of Zambia's first post-Independence cabinet, (including Arthur Wina's brother Sikota), were also educated at Munali.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wina, Inonge 1941 births Living people 21st-century Zambian women politicians 21st-century Zambian politicians Gender ministers of Zambia Lozi people Members of the National Assembly of Zambia Patriotic Front (Zambia) politicians People from Senanga District Santa Monica College alumni United Party for National Development politicians University of Zambia alumni Vice-presidents of Zambia Women government ministers of Zambia Women vice presidents in Africa