Speciosa Naigaga Wandira Kazibwe (born 1 July 1954), 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 A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and first female vice president in Africa. She was the sixth

vice president of Uganda The vice president of Uganda is the second-highest executive official in the Ugandan government. The vice president is appointed by the president. Vice presidents of Uganda References Works cited * * See also *President of Uganda *Pri ...

from 1994 to 2003, making her the first

woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

to hold the position of vice-president of a sovereign nation. Dr. Speciosa Kazibwe is also 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 ...

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

. She is also referred to as "Nnalongo", because of her twins. In August 2013, she was appointed by 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 ...

's Secretary General,

Ban Ki-Moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

as ''United Nations Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa''.

Background and education

Speciosa Kazibwe was born in

Iganga District Iganga District is a district in the Eastern Region of Uganda. The town of Iganga is the site of the district headquarters. Location Iganga District is bordered by Kaliro District to the north, Namutumba District to the northeast, Bugweri Di ...

on 1 July 1954. She attended

Mount Saint Mary's College Namagunga Mt. St. Mary's College Namagunga is an all-girl boarding secondary school located in Mukono District in Uganda. The school is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugazi. Location The school is on the Kampala–Jinja Highway, approxim ...

, a prestigious all-female boarding high school affiliated with the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, located on the Kampala-Jinja Highway, near the town of

Lugazi Lugazi is a town in the Buikwe District of the Central Region of Uganda. The town is also called "Kawolo", and the two names are interchangeably used by the local inhabitants. Location The town is on the Kampala-Jinja Highway, approximately ...

. In 1974 she entered Makerere University School of Medicine, where she studied human medicine, graduating with the

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United K ...

degree in 1979. She later obtained the degree of

Master of Medicine Master of Medicine (MMed) is a postgraduate professional clinical degree awarded by medical schools to physicians following a period of instruction, supervised clinical rotations, and examination. The degree usually takes three years to complete, ...

, also from Makerere University Medical School, specializing in

General Surgery General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid ...

. In 2009, she was awarded the degree of

Doctor of Science Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

(SD), by

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

, Department of Population and International Health.

Work experience

Kazibwe began her political career as a Chairperson of Chairpersons of Halls of Residence at Makerere University Kampala (1975–76) - the equivalent of a University Guild President, which had been abolished by then President Idi Amin Dada. She later became a member of the youth and women's wings of the Ugandan

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. She won her first election as a village leader, on the ticket of the

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 ...

(NRM) in 1987. She was later elected Women's Representative for

Kampala District Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, 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 Divisi ...

and became Chairperson of the Advisory Committee for Museveni's election campaign. She first began serving the administration of

Yoweri Museveni Yoweri Kaguta Museveni Tibuhaburwa (born 15 September 1944) is a Ugandan politician and retired senior military officer who has been the 9th and current President of Uganda since 26 January 1986. Museveni spearheaded rebellions with aid of then ...

in 1989, when she was appointed Deputy Minister for Industry, a post she held until 1991. From 1991 until 1994, she served as Minister for Gender and Community Development. She was a member of the Constitution Assembly which drafted Uganda's new constitution in 1994. In 1996, she was elected Member of Parliament for the constituency of Kigulu South in

. From 1994 until 2003, Speciosa Kazibwe served as Uganda's Vice President and as Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries. Kazibwe has been an advocate for women in their position in

. In collaboration with the

Organization of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

and the

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; french: link=no, Commission économique pour l'Afrique, CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its ...

, she founded the ''African Women Committee on Peace and Development'' (AWCPD) in 1998; an organization she has chaired. The objective of AWCPD is to help enable women's participation in peace and development processes on the continent. Dr. Kazibwe has also been chair or a member of various national interest groups, including: * The Senior Women's Advisory Group on the Environment * The Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited * The Uganda Women Doctors Association * Agri-Energy Roundtable Uganda (AER/U) Kazibwe chaired the inaugural conference of the AER/Uganda on November 25, 1991 at the Kampala Sheraton and also served on the Committee of Honor of the Agri-Energy Roundtable (AER) for several years, gaining wide recognition. In 1998, the

Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

(

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...

) awarded her the "Ceres Medal" for her "contribution to food security and poverty eradication".

Personal details

In April 2002, Kazibwe filed for divorce from her husband, saying that she refused to be the victim of continued

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. Polygamy and wife beating are relatively common in

, but divorce is relatively rare. Her husband opposed the divorce, citing his

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

faith, and saying that his wife had come home late without giving a proper explanation, and had joined with some other politicians he did not like. Finding it difficult to perform her political duties and deal with the increasingly messy divorce case, on Wednesday, 21 May 2003, Kazibwe stepped down from her positions in government, asking to be allowed to continue her studies. She completed a doctorate at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. She has four children including twins from her first marriage and has adopted several others.

References

External links

About Domestic Abuse in Uganda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kazibwe, Specioza Vice presidents of Uganda 1954 births Living people Democratic Party (Uganda) politicians Makerere University alumni National Resistance Movement politicians People from Iganga District People from Eastern Region, Uganda Ugandan public health doctors Agriculture ministers of Uganda Industry ministers of Uganda Fisheries ministers of Uganda 20th-century Ugandan women politicians 20th-century Ugandan politicians 21st-century Ugandan women politicians 21st-century Ugandan politicians Harvard School of Public Health alumni Ugandan women scientists Women government ministers of Uganda People educated at Mount Saint Mary's College Namagunga Fellows of the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa Women vice presidents Ugandan surgeons Ugandan women surgeons 21st-century Ugandan women scientists Special Envoys of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Women public health doctors