Persis Namuganza is the current State Minister for lands.
Here are the eight things you don’t know about the youthful minister;
1) Namuganza was born in Namutumba District on 5 October, 1984.
2) She attended Mount Elgon High School in Mbale for her O level and then she was transferred to a school in Luweero District where she sat for her A level exams in 2003.
3) In 2006, Namuganza was awarded a Diploma in accounting by Makerere Business Institute and within that same year she joined Kyambogo University thus graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration. In 2014 she graduated from Cavendish University Uganda with a masters in international relations.
4)Namuganza is also a beneficiary of Museveni’s State House scholarship so in short the minister is ‘a president’s girl’.
5) She began her career in 2009 at Anti Corruption Coalition Uganda, a non governmental organization where she served as a programme officer. Later she joined another NGO known as Pearl of Africa Research and Accountability, serving as A public Relations officer and administrator from 2010 to 2012. She was then appointed a Deputy Resident District Commissioner for Luweero District from 2012 to 2015.
6) In 2016, she entered competitive elective national politics by contesting for Bukono County Constituency MP seat on NRM ticket. She won and now she is the incumbent.
7)In 2018, the minister was accused of ‘stealing’ a married man. Tabisa Edisa Nakaziba, 39 sued Namuganza for using police to arrest and torture her for allegedly sharing a man with her.
8) Last year, Namuganza launched a withering attack against Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, accusing her of interfering in cultural matters of Bukono after the Speaker had presided over the installation of a chief in Bukono County, Namutumba District. Angered by the Speaker’s role in installing the Nkono chief, the minister accused the Speaker of being personally responsible for underdevelopment in the Busoga sub-region and also claimed that the Speaker had threatened to harm or kill her.
Following the attack, Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah directed Parliament’s Committee on Discipline to investigate why the minister and the Speaker were squabbling and recommend a way forward. After the probe Namuganza was ordered to apologise to Kadaga or face suspension from parliament, though up to date she has never apologised.
