Who is Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal? Flash Uganda Media looks at her biography, age, husband, family, tribe, father, mother, relationship with Rosemary Apio, late Opio Boniface, Lameck Ogwal, early life and education of the former Woman Member of Parliament for the Dokolo District Constituency.
Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal commonly referred to as Cecilia Ogwal and nicknamed ‘Iron Lady’ was a politician, businesswoman and management consultant from Uganda.
She was the Woman Member of Parliament for the Dokolo District Constituency from 2011.
From 1996 until her passing in 2024, Cecilia served continuously as a member of the Ugandan legislature. She first joined the Uganda People’s Congress before becoming a member of the Forum for Democratic Change.
At the age of 77, she passed away in India on January 18, 2024, due to cancer.
Early Life
Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal was born in Alyec-Ower village, Adok Sub County, Dokolo District in Northern Uganda on 12th June 1946.
She was born into the family of the late Rosemary Apio and the late Opio Boniface.
Education Background
Cecilia Atim Ogwal completed her primary education at Ngeta Boarding Primary School.
In the early 1960s, she was the first girl to enter a mathematics competition organized by the Verona Fathers sect.
After that, she enrolled at Sacred Heart Secondary School in Gulu, where she finished her basic education.
Cecilia took part in an English simple writing contest run by Brook Bond Tea when she was here. She won the title of best girl in the nation.
After receiving a scholarship, she later enrolled in Gayaza High School in 1963 to pursue her A-level education.
She was among the initial Catholics granted admission to Gayaza. The institution was founded by the (Anglican) Church of England, and at first, even her father opposed her going.
At age 21, she was accepted to the University of East Africa in Nairobi (now the University of Nairobi) in 1967 to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
She was one of four Ugandan women admitted there for a trial period. She graduated from Nairobi University in 1970 as the top student in her field.
Education background summary
| Years | Institution | Status /Award |
| Ngeta Boarding Primary School | PLE | |
| Sacred Heart Secondary School | UCE | |
| 1965 | Gayaza High School | UACE |
| 1970 | University of Nairobi | Bachelor of Commerce degree |
| 1972 | Uganda Management Institute | Certificate in Human Resources Management |
Other Academic Accomplishments
In 1972, Cecilia Atim Ogwal obtained a Certificate in Human Resources Management from the Uganda Management Institute, which was formerly known as the Institute of Public Administration.
She also possessed two further certificates: one in Public-Private Partnership from Australia in 2008 and one in Christian-based values from the Haggai Institute in Singapore in 1997.
She oversaw a group of students who met with President Obote in 1967 to suggest a workable solution for the UN Refugee Agency’s late payment of tuition and allowances to students of Rwandan descent who were refugees in Uganda.
Soon after, the issue was settled.
She was a member of a student delegation that petitioned the British High Commission in Nairobi and Members of Parliament in 1968, requesting an end to the killings of black nationalists in Rhodesia.
Because of their efforts, English Queen Elizabeth II was able to officially denounce the murders.
Marriage / Relationship
Ogwal was wed to Lameck Ogwal, with whom she had seven children. They married at Christ the King Church in February 1970.
On the other hand, she was the mother of several adoptive children.
Career and Professional Work Experience
From 1979 until 1980, Cecilia Barbara Atim Ogwal worked at the Uganda Embassy in Kenya, as the Liaison Officer for Returning Ugandan Refugees.
Cecilia served as the Uganda Advisory Board of Trade’s operations manager in Uganda from 1980 to 1981.
She was employed at the Housing Finance Bank from 1982 to 1984 where she was also one of its founders.
From 1981 until 1986, Cecilia Ogwal presided over the Uganda Development Bank (UDB) as its chairperson.
Ogwal entered the political sphere of Uganda, holding the position of Acting Secretary General for the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) between 1985 and 1992.
She was a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1994, which wrote and approved the Ugandan Constitution of 1995.
Up until 2004, Cecilia Ogwal held a prominent position within the UPC political party.
However, she lost her position as the Lira Municipality Member of Parliament in the 2006 parliamentary elections to Jimmy Akena, the son of UPC founder Milton Obote.
Later, she stood for and was elected as the Woman Member of Parliament for the newly established Dokolo District in the 2011 Parliamentary elections. She contested this position after switching parties from UPC to the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party.
She also held the positions of Parliamentary Commissioner and Uganda’s representative to the Pan African Parliament (PAP) during the 9th Parliament (2011–2016).
Work experience background summary
| Years | Institution | Position |
| 1979 – 1980 | Uganda Embassy in Kenya | Liaison Officer for Returning Ugandan Refugees |
| 1980 – 1981 | Uganda Advisory Board of Trade | Operations Manager |
| 1982 – 1984 | Housing Finance Bank | Founder |
| 1979 – 1985 | Intra-African Trade | General Manager |
| 1981 – 1986 | Uganda Development Bank | Chairperson |
| 1985 – 1992 | Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) | Acting Secretary General |
| 1992 – 1996 | Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) | Chairperson of the Presidential Policy Commission |
| 1996 – 2004 | Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) | Chairman interim executive council |
| 1996 – 2006 | Lira Municipality | Member of Parliament |
| 2011 – 2016 | Pan African Parliament (PAP) | Uganda’s representative |
| 2011 – 2024 | Dokolo District | Woman Member of Parliament |
Member of Parliament Summary
| Term | Years | Constituency | Position |
| 1st | 1996 – 2001 | Lira Municipality | Member of Parliament |
| 2nd | 2001 – 2006 | Lira Municipality | Member of Parliament |
| 1st | 2011 – 2016 | Dokolo District | Woman Member of Parliament |
| 2nd | 2016 – 2021 | Dokolo District | Woman Member of Parliament |
| 3rd | 2021 – 2024 | Dokolo District | Woman Member of Parliament |
Other Career accomplishments
As a representative of the legislative Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Cecilia Ogwal oversaw and covered policy issues pertaining to land, housing, urban development, transportation, works, and physical planning.
In addition, she served on the business and budget committees, demonstrating her commitment to directing Uganda’s progress.
Achievements and Awards
Not only was Cecilia Ogwal a trailblazer but she was also a fierce champion of multipartyism, democracy, and human rights, and one of the most powerful and captivating female opposition leaders.
After switching from the UPC to the FDC over the years, Ogwal became one of the longest-serving members of parliament in Uganda. Her past and ongoing efforts to largely improve the country’s political climate have earned her the title of “Iron Lady.”
In 1969, the Apollo Milton Hotel (now the Sheraton) hosted the inaugural Miss Uganda pageant, which Ogwal, then 23 years old, won.
Cecilia Ogwal received a degree from the University of Nairobi in 1970 along with the Indira Gandhi Memorial Prize for outstanding achievement in Commerce.
She will forever be remembered for her commitment to women’s rights as a businesswoman, lawmaker, and advocate.
Controversies
Ogwal’s discord with the UPC started in 1996 when she disobeyed Milton Obote, the late party leader, who ordered party members to abstain from local council and parliamentary elections.
She thus campaigned effectively and was elected on June 17, 1996, to the Lira Municipality seat.
Speaking to attendees at the Global African Diaspora Parliamentarians Summit in Midrand, South Africa, in May 2011, she stated, “Practices that are against African culture are now classified as human rights. I am forced to accept homosexuality. That is wrong and should be condemned, it cannot be accepted.”
