Pumla Ellen Ngozwana Kisosonkole (1911–1997) was a

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

n politician and activist in women's organizations.

Biography

Pumla Ellen Ngozwana was born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1911 to Methodist church ministers. She received education at mission schools and attended the

University of Fort Hare The University of Fort Hare is a public university in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a key institution of higher education for Africans from 1916 to 1959 when it offered a Western-style academic education to students from across sub ...

Alice, Eastern Cape Alice is a small town in Eastern Cape, South Africa that is named after Princess Alice, the daughter of the British Queen Victoria. It was settled in 1824 by British colonists it's adjacent to the Tyhume River. It has rail and road connection ...

. She travelled to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, furthering her education at the

Institute of Education IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society (IOE) is the education school of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior to m ...

. She then wrote the pamphlet "Education as I Saw It in England". She married Ugandan Christopher Kisosonkole in 1939. They moved to Uganda, where Pumla became involved in politics. She spent eight years as a senior community development officer and taught at

King's College Budo King’s College Budo is a mixed, residential, secondary school in Central Uganda (Buganda). Location The school is located on Naggalabi Hill, in southern Wakiso District, off the Kampala-Masaka Road. This location lies approximately , by road, ...

. In 1956 she was nominated to the

Uganda Legislative Council The Uganda Legislative Council (LEGCO) was the predecessor of the Parliament of Uganda, prior to Uganda's independence from the United Kingdom. LEGCO was small to start with and all its members were Europeans. Its legislative powers were limited, ...

(LEGCO) of the Protectorate Government. She was the first African woman to enter the legislative council. She served as a representative in the legislature during Uganda's transition from a British colony to independence. She started a four-year stretch as president of the Uganda Council of Women in 1957. She was the first African to serve in that role. From 1959 to 1962 she was president of the

International Council of Women The International Council of Women (ICW) is a women's rights organization working across national boundaries for the common cause of advocating human rights for women. In March and April 1888, women leaders came together in Washington, D.C., with ...

. Prime Minister

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 ...

appointed her to Uganda's delegation to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in 1963. In the 1960s she was also a literary expert with

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. Pumla Kisosonkole died in 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kisosonkole, Pumla 1911 births 1997 deaths 20th-century Ugandan women politicians 20th-century Ugandan politicians University of Fort Hare alumni Ugandan women's rights activists Immigrants to Uganda South African emigrants