Who is Atkins Godfrey Katusabe? Flash Uganda Media looks at his biography, age, wife, family, tribe, relationship with Sarah Achieng Opendi, late Elly Tumwine, Cecilia Ogwal, Mathias Mpuuga, Dr Chrispus Kiyonga, early life and education of the current Bukonzo West constituency Member of Parliament (MP) in Uganda.
Atkins Godfrey Katusabe is a Ugandan politician and African scholar. He is the current Member of Parliament of Bukonzo West constituency, Kasese District.
He is also the shadow Minister for Public Service and former Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs. He belongs to the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) political party.
Katusabe is also the Director of International Relations and International Cooperation for the Council for Frontiers of Knowledge (CFK).
Early life and Education
Atkins Godfrey Katusabe was born in Bwera, Kasese District to the late Victoria Nzyabake who passed on in 2019.
He has seven siblings and is married to Sarah Achieng Opendi, the Tororo District Woman MP since 2018. Katusabe holds a BA in Social Sciences and an Honors Degree in Political Science.
He also holds Specialist Postgraduate Certificates in Governance and Law, Procurement and Logistics Management, Public Policy and Public Administration, Home-grown and International Policy, Networking and Advocacy, Human Rights and Gender, Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation.
He also graduated with a Master’s degree in Population and Reproductive Health from Makerere University.
Atkins is also known as the legislator with an American accent. This is backed up by his long stay in the United States.
Career and Professional Work Experience
Katusabe’s political journey can be traced back to Makerere University where he served as the first Pioneer President of the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) – MD, PhD, LLD, Sc.D and Masters from 25th February 2003 to 26th September 2004.
From June 2004 to June 2007, he served as the East African Council of Graduate Students’ Pioneer President (EACOGS).
As Makerere University COGS President in 2003, at University Senate House, he almost single-handedly persuaded the Makerere University academic community to resume duties after nearly four weeks of well-deserved industrial action.
While serving as the East African Council of Graduate Students’ Pioneer President (EACOGS). He helped establish COGS in almost all leading East African universities to champion research and scholarship within their graduate communities through strong leadership.
Atkins Godfrey Katusabe was sworn in on 20th May 2021 as the Member of Parliament for Bukonzo West Constituency replacing NRM’s Dr Chrispus Kiyonga.
On 25th June 2021, he was appointed as the shadow Minister for Public Service by the leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga.
Atkins also served in the tenth Ugandan parliament.
Achievements and Awards
Atkins Katusabe has served on a number of Makerere University Senate Boards and Senate/Council Committees, including Higher Degrees and Graduate Studies Board, Quality Assurance Committee, Grants, Research, and Publications Board, Intellectual Property Rights and Management Policy Adhoc Committee, Postgraduate Examination and Supervision Board, and Joint Degrees Award Committee.
He has a long-term strategic vision, allowing him to contribute to solid strategic planning. He is deeply committed to Africa’s long-term development, as well as Makerere’s advancement and leadership, through science, technology, and innovation.
Atkins specializes in African-born and international competencies in Strategic Thinking and Strategic Planning, as well as Institutional Development and Planning.
As a Makerere Senate and Council Committee Representative, Atkins collaborated with other Makerere University Board and Committee Members in the creation and development of several key Makerere policies, including the Quality Assurance Policy, Higher Degrees and Graduate Education Policy, Intellectual Property Management Policy, Research and Innovation Policy, and Joint Degree Awards Policy.
Atkins has led numerous African and Makerere University delegations to meet with international partners who are committed to Africa’s advancement through higher education, science, technology, and innovation.
Notably, he led and supported student visits to Tullow, Ireland in 2011, 2012, and 2013 as part of the Tullow-funded graduate studies program.
Atkins also oversaw the process of obtaining additional funding for the students to receive SEISAN seismic analysis software/system training at the Tullow Dublin offices in January 2013. In addition, one of the software’s developers (Professor Lars Ottemoller) even provided the necessary training.
He was given the global assignment of co-organizing The Council for Frontiers of Knowledge, a major international conference on the theme “Western Science Meets African Reality,” in Munyonyo, Uganda, in November 2012.
Atkins has published in high-impact international transdisciplinary journals. He covered CFK perspectives in the article “Transdisciplinary Sustainability: The Council for Frontiers of Knowledge,” International Journal of Transdisciplinary Research, 2014.
Atkins is leading a current distance learning initiative called “CFK E-Mentoring Program” with other African scholars, which is globally coordinated by CFK Directors Professor Cecilia Agrell (Lund University, Sweden) and Professor Jenny Emnéus (Denmark Technical University).
Controversies
In August 2019, the late General Elly Tumwine called the allegations of contempt of parliament leveled against him by fellow legislators Atkins Godfrey Katusabe and Cecilia Ogwal “malicious.”
Late Elly Tumwine was accused by the two legislators of questioning the powers of parliament, directives issued by the legislature, and the position of Speaker, which he allegedly claimed had no bearing on the army.
Tumwine allegedly attacked Cecilia Ogwal for bringing up an incident in the Seventh Parliament in which the army MP drew a gun at her in the aftermath of a discussion about his attitude. The matter was referred to Parliament’s Rules Committee for investigation.
Tumwine however claimed that the allegations against him were false, malicious, taken out of context, and made with the intent of demeaning his character, reputation as an experienced and long-serving legislator, and calling into question his and the UPDF’s discipline.
He demanded an apology from the legislators.
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