BIOGRAPHY- THE INSPIRING STORY OF WINNIE BYANYIMA

            WHO IS WINNIE BYANYIMA?

Winnie Byanyima is a Ugandan politician and aeronautical engineer who was the first female Ugandan to become an aeronautical engineer.

 Winnie Byanyima is also a Ugandan diplomat. Winnie Byanyima was born in Mbarara district which is found in the Western region of Uganda. During the time she was born, Uganda was a British protectorate. 

She was born to Boniface Byanyima who was one time the National Chairman of the Democratic Party in Uganda and her mother was called Gertrude Byanyima who was teacher by profession but unfortunately died in the year 2008.

 Winnie Byanyima went to Mount St.Mary’s College Namagunga which is found in Mukono district that is found in the central part of Uganda where she completed her secondary school education.

 After secondary school, Winnie Byanyima joined the University of Manchester where she studied Bachelors degree in Aeronautical Engineering and she ultimately became the first female Ugandan to become an Aeronautical Engineer. After completing her Bachelors degree, Winnie Byanyima joined Cranfield University where she obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering and she specialised in energy conservation. 

After completing her studies as an aeronautical engineer, Winnie Byanyima worked with the Uganda Airlines as a flight engineer.

 During the time when Museveni and his NRA group started the Bush war. Winnie Byanyima quit her job in Uganda Airlines and then joined the armed struggle that was led by Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. 

Museveni grew up with Winnie Byanyima’s family where his education needs and basic needs were catered for. Winnie Byanyima, her husband Dr. Kizza Besigye and Yoweri Museveni were combatants during the bush war from the year 1981- 1986.  

Currently, Winnie Byanyima and Her husband Dr. Kizza Besigye have disagreed with President Yoweri Museveni as a result of lack of transparency during the presidential elections and not practicing democracy the proper way.

 After the war that brought the National Resistance Army to power, Winnie Byanyima was appointed as Uganda’s ambassador to France from the year 1989 to the year 1994. 

After her service as the ambassador, Winnie Byanyima returned home and started participating in Ugandan politics. 

During the drafting of the 1995 constitution of the republic of Uganda, Winnie worked as a member of the constituent Assembly.

 From the year 1994 to the year 2004, she was a member of parliament representing Mbarara Municipality. 

After completing her terms in parliament, she was appointed as the Director of the Directorate of Women, Gender and Development at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia. 

After serving in African Union, she was then appointed as the director of the Gender Team in the Bureau for Development policy at the United Nations Development Programme in November 2006. 

In the year 2013, Oxfam announced Winnie Byanyima as the next executive director of Oxfam International where she replaced Jeremy Hobbs. She started working as director at Oxfam on 1^st May 2013. 

In 2017 she accepted another second term from Oxfam International for another five years after the first term which was five years expired. 

In the year 2015, Winnie Byanyima was co-chair of the World Economic Forum that was held in Davos. 

She used the platform that was offered by the forum to press action for the widening gap between the rich people and the poor people.

 In the year 2016, Winnie Byanyima was appointed by the former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the High Level panel on Access to Medicines, co-chaired by RuthDreifuss, former President of Switzerland, and Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana. 

Winnie Byanyima is currently the executive director of Oxfam International, a position to which she was appointed in the year 2013. 

Winnie Byanyima is married to political opposition leader and the leader of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party Dr. Kizza Besigye and they have one son who is called Anselm. Winnie Byanyima is member of the opposition party Forum for Democratic Change commonly known as FDC. 

Winnie Byanyima has five siblings who are Anthony, Martha, Olivia, Edith and Abraham. 

Winnie Byanyima is an inspiration to many Ugandan women and girls out there who would love to become successful in life.