Abed Bwanika (born 1 August 1967) is a Ugandan veterinarian, politician, and pastor. He is the President of the People's Development Party, an opposition political party in Uganda.

Background and education

Bwanika was born on 1 August 1967 in modern-day Lwengo District. He attended Kimwanyu Primary School, near his parents' home in said area. Later, he studied at Masaka Secondary School for his 'O' level, and at

Kigezi High School Kigezi High School, is a mixed, boarding high school in Kabale, Kabale District, Western Uganda. Location The school is located off the Kabale-Kisoro Road on a hill called ''Rugarama'', approximately , by road, northwest of the central business ...

for his 'A' level. He was admitted to

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 ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine The Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc or BVSC; Latin Baccalaureus Veterinariae Scientiae), "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" (BVetMed), or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" ("BVM&S" or "BVMS") is a degree for studies in veterinary me ...

degree. Later, he earned a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

degree in the same field, also from Makerere.

Career

Following his first degree, he stayed on at Makerere as a graduate tutor, while he conducted research and pursued a second degree. In 2001, he left teaching and a private veterinary consultancy. He also opened a church, Christian Witness Church. During the 1996 presidential elections, he supported

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 ...

but switched allegiance to

Kizza Besigye Warren Kizza Besigye Kifefe (born 22 April 1956), known as Colonel. Dr. Kizza Besigye, is a Ugandan physician, politician, and former military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Force. He served as the president of the Forum for Democrati ...

in 2001. He ran as an independent candidate in the February 2006 presidential election, where he finished in fourth place, with 0.95 percent of the vote (65,874 total votes). He again contested the February 2011 presidential elections as the candidate of the People's Development Party, which he founded; he is also the party's president. The second-time around, he received about 14,000 fewer votes (51,708 total votes), garnering 0.65 percent of the popular vote. In August 2020 he left the People's Development Party to join the

National Unity Platform The National Unity Platform (NUP, sw, Jukwaa la Umoja wa Kitaifa), formerly the National Unity, Reconciliation and Development Party (NURP), is a political party in Uganda led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (also known as Bobi Wine). The NURP w ...

. In the 2021 general election he was elected to Parliament to represent the Kimanya-Kabonera constituency in

Masaka City Masaka is a city in the Buganda Region of Uganda, west of Lake Victoria. The city is the headquarters of Masaka District. Location Masaka is approximately to the south-west of Kampala on the highway to Mbarara. The city is close to the Equator ...

Personal life

Bwanika is married to Gladys Namusuwe, a fish biologist and lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Makerere University. They have been married since 1995 and are the parents of four sons: Wise, Decent, Chosen, and Delight.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bwanika, Abed 1967 births Ganda people Living people Makerere University alumni People from Lwengo District Ugandan veterinarians Academic staff of Makerere University People from Central Region, Uganda Members of the Parliament of Uganda 21st-century Ugandan politicians