Sylvia Nagginda (born 9 November 1962) is the current Nnabagereka or Queen of

Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...

, a historic kingdom in modern-day

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 ...

Background

Nagginda was born in England in 1962 to John Mulumba Luswata of Nkumba, Entebbe and Rebecca Nakintu Musoke and returned to Uganda shortly thereafter to be raised by her grandparents of the Omusu Clan. She is the granddaughter of George William Musoke and Nora Musoke of Nnazigo, Kyaggwe, and Omutaka Nelson Nkalubo Sebugwawo and Catherine Sebugwawo of Nkumba. She has three brothers and three sisters.

Timeline

Sylvia attended Lake Victoria Primary School, in Entebbe, Gayaza Junior School, and

Wanyange Girls School Wanyange Girls School is a girls' boarding government-aided secondary school on Nyange hill in the Jinja District of the Eastern Region, Uganda, founded in 1960. History When Wanyange Girls School opened on 1 March 1960, it was temporarily located ...

. After graduating from

secondary 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 '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

she went to the United States to continue her studies. She earned an associate degree with honours from

City University of New York The City University of New York ( CUNY; , ) is the Public university, public university system of Education in New York City, New York City. It is the largest urban university system in the United States, comprising 25 campuses: eleven Upper divis ...

, a Bachelor of Arts degree from

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, and 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 ...

degree with Distinction in Mass Communication from the

New York Institute of Technology The New York Institute of Technology (NYIT or New York Tech) is a private research university founded in 1955. It has two main campuses in New York—one in Old Westbury, on Long Island, and one in Manhattan. Additionally, it has a cybersecu ...

Work experience

Sylvia went on to work as a Public Information Officer and Research Consultant at 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 ...

headquarters in New York, as a proposal writer with

Maximus Inc. Maximus Inc. is an American government services company, with global operations in countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company contracts with government agencies to provide services to manage and ...

, and as an independent consultant in public relations and business development with various firms. She has applied her skills in fields such as public information, economic research, health care and human services, and international non-profit activities. She is one of the founders of the

African Queens and Women Cultural Leaders Network The African Queens and Women Cultural Leaders Network (AQWCLN) is a voluntary network of female cultural leaders across Africa that seeks to advocate for the advancement and improve the lives of women and girls across the continent. History The AQ ...

, whose primary focus is the "improvement of the lives of women and children in Africa". Collaborating organizations include the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

, the

, and African governments. The Nnaabagereka supports the Kabaka's Education Fund in assisting to make education available to the least advantaged children through a scholarship scheme. She stresses the need for high quality education accessible to all children and relevant to the needs of society. The Nnabagereka places special emphasis on the education of girls, as witnessed through her work as a Goodwill Ambassador for

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

, advocating for girls' education; She is also involved with the Forum for African Women Educationalists an organization whose goal is to accelerate female participation in education and to bridge the gender gap within the education system at all levels. The Nnabagereka is very cautious about the cultural values that make a good mother or woman in Buganda, but stresses that these should be handled in such a way that girls are not denied any opportunity in education. As Queen, Sylvia has worked to raise awareness of the value of educating girls. She endorses abstinence from premarital sex to avoid

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

and has tried to reduce the stigma of those living with the disease. The Queen is the patron of various organizations and heads the Nnaabagereka Development Trust Foundation. She has also spearheaded immunization campaigns against

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

tetanus Tetanus, also known as lockjaw, is a bacterial infection caused by ''Clostridium tetani'', and is characterized by muscle spasms. In the most common type, the spasms begin in the jaw and then progress to the rest of the body. Each spasm usually ...

, and other diseases. She also established the Kampala Ballet and Modern Dance School, the first of its kind in Uganda. Through her
Nabagereka Foundation
Queen Nagginda's
Ekisakaate
summer camp has groomed more than 30,000 Ugandan youth since 2008. The camp takes place every January and admits youth between 13 and 18 years. "Ekisakaate kya Nabagereka" meaning the queen's camp, emphasizes

culture. Teenagers are taught skills including peeling

matooke Matoke, locally also known as matooke, amatooke in Buganda (Central Uganda), ekitookye in southwestern Uganda, ekitooke in western Uganda, kamatore in Lugisu (Eastern Uganda), ebitooke in northwestern Tanzania, igitoki in Rwanda, Burundi and b ...

, greeting in Buganda culture, dancing th
kiganda dance
among other activities. Mentors are also called upon to address the teenagers who look up to them. Jennifer Musisi, Robert Kyaglanyi Ssentamu , Juliana Kanyomozi are among some of the mentors to grace the ekisakaate camp in recent times.

Personal life

After living in the United States for 18 years, Sylvia returned to Uganda. In 1998 she became romantically involved with her long-time acquaintance

Muwenda Mutebi II of Buganda Ronald Edward Frederick Kimera Muwenda Mutebi II (born 13 April 1955) is the reigning Kabaka (also known as king) of the Kingdom of Buganda, a constitutional kingdom in modern-day Uganda. He is the 36th ''Kabaka'' of Buganda. He was appointed as ...

. Their

engagement An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

was announced on 14 February 1999. On 27 August of that year, she married the King at St. Paul's Cathedral on

Namirembe Hill Namirembe is a hill in Kampala, Uganda's capital and largest city. It is also a common name given to girls in several Baganda clans. Namirembe comes from the Luganda word "mirembe" meaning ''peace''. Namirembe loosely translates into ''Full of ...

, becoming the first queen of Buganda in fifty years. On 4 July 2001 in London, the Queen delivered her first child, Princess Katrina Sarah Ssangalyambogo, which means "buffalo's horn". She is also step-mother to the King's other children.

References

External links