Miria Matembe
Miria Matembe | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Pan-African Parliament for Uganda | |
| In office 2003–Unknown | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 28, 1953 |
| Alma mater | Makerere University University of Warwick |
| Occupation | Lawyer, politician |
Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe (born 26 August 1953) is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, gender equality advocate and a senior citizen.[1]
In June 2006, she became a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow with the National Endowment for Democracy.[2]
Early life and education
Matembe was born on 28 August 1953 in Bwizibwera, Kashaari, Mbarara to Samwiri Rukoza and Eseza Kajwengye. She is the fourth-born of nine children (five boys and four girls).[3] She attended Rutooma Primary School, after which she proceeded to Bweranyangi Girls’ Senior Secondary School for her O-Level studies. She continued to Namasagali College for her A-Level studies.[4]
Matembe obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Makerere University and, later, a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Warwick.[5]
Career
Matembe began her career as a State Attorney in the Department of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. She then worked as a Lecturer in Law at the Uganda College of Commerce from 1979 to 1983.
Later, she worked as a Senior Lecturer in Law at the Chartered Institute of Bankers from 1983 to 1989 before joining politics.[6]
From 1989 to 1994, she served as a Member of the National Resistance Council, representing Mbarara District.
She then served as a Constituent Assembly Delegate from 1994-1995.
In 1996, she was elected Woman Member of Parliament for Mbarara District, a seat she held until 2006.[7] She withdrew from elective politics in 2006 after a fallout with Yoweri Museveni,[8] the president of Uganda in 2003 after the removal of presidential term limits from the Constitution.[9]
She also served as Uganda’s first Minister of Ethics and Integrity from 1998 to 2003.
Since retiring from elective politics in 2006, she has continued to be an outspoken advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Women's Rights Advocacy
Matembe has been a strong proponent and advocate of women's rights in Uganda for more than three decades and has authored several articles and books to that effect.[10][11]
In October 2006, she gave a lecture entitled, "Women, War, Peace: Politics in Peacebuilding" at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series.[12][13]
Books
- The Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Betrayed.[14]
- Woman in the Eyes of God: Reclaiming a Lost Identity.[15]
- Miria Matembe: Gender Politics and Constitution Making in Uganda[16]
Awards
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D) from University of Victoria, 2007
Personal life
She married Nekemia Matembe in July 1975. They have four children and several grandchildren.[17]
References
- ^ Pan-African Parliament members as of 15 March 2004 Archived 18 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Ten years of Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program" (PDF). NED International Forum for Democratic Studies: 25. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Agather Atuhaire (12 December 2020). "Matembe Retires In Two Minds". Daily Monitor. Kampala, Uganda. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ "WHO IS WHO Miria Matembe". whoinafrica.com. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
- ^ "Miria Matembe". Salzburg Global Seminar. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ WHO IS WHO. "Miria Matembe". WHO IS WHO. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Atuhaire, Agather (12 December 2020). "Matembe retires in two minds". Nation Media Group. Daily Monitor. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ Kimathi, Dedan (2019-11-27). "Museveni Lacks Vision – Matembe". ChimpReports. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
- ^ "Matembe retires in two minds". Monitor. 2020-12-12. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- ^ Ampurire, Paul (2016-09-11). "Miria Matembe on What Inspired Her Fight for Women Rights". ChimpReports. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
- ^ Waswa, Sam (2014-11-29). "Matembe Rallies Women Against NRM". ChimpReports. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
- ^ Matembe, Miria; Perez, Alma Viviana; Santiago, Irene (2006). Women, War and Peace: The politics of peacebuilding. Online: JOAN B. KROC INSTITUTE FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Interview:Rwanda an example that political will spurs women empowerment– activist". The New Times. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 2026-01-27.
- ^ The Struggle for Freedom & Democracy Betrayed: Memoirs of Miria Matembe as an Insider in Museveni's Government. Retrieved 2021-04-14 – via www.amazon.com.
- ^ Matembe, Miria (2009). Woman in the eyes of God: reclaiming a lost identity. Kampala, Uganda: New Life Publishers. ISBN 978-9970-17-600-7. OCLC 501315188.
- ^ Alim, Leena Omar. (2002). "Miria Matembe: Gender Politics and Constitution Making in Uganda. (Book Reviews)". Ahfad Journal. 19 (2): 86. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
- ^ "Matembe on her love life: I'm not a factory to be managed". Daily Monitor. 6 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-14.