Who is Atukwasa Rita Bwahika? Flash Uganda Media looks at her biography, age, husband, family, tribe, achievements, relationship, CEO of the Uganda Women’s Parliamentary Association, Uganda Policy Analyst, Gender specialist & Trainer for Gender & Equity Budgeting, Executive Director Emeritus of The Institute for Social Transformation, the early life and education of the current Woman MP of the Mbarara city in Uganda.
Rita Atukwasa, also known as Atukwasa Rita Bwahika, is a member of Uganda’s Eleventh Parliament and a trainer for gender and equity budgeting as well as a public policy analyst and gender specialist.
She was previously the Executive Director of The Institute for Social Transformation (IST) Uganda.
She is the Woman Member of Parliament for Mbarara District, having been elected as an independent candidate in January 2021.
Rita also participates in the Gender-Based Violence Prevention Network.
Early Life and Education
Rita Atukwasa was born on August 15, in Mbarara district, Western Uganda. She is both a mother and a wife. She also lost both her parents.
Atukwasa Rita graduated from Makerere University in 2001 with a degree in Social Administration and Political Science.
She also holds a Postgraduate Diploma from the Institute for Training for Transformation in South Africa.
In 2016, she earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Governance from the Uganda Management Institute.
Career and Professional Work Experience
From August 2004 to 2011, Rita Atukwasa worked as the Program Manager of Advocacy Human Rights for the Kamwokya Christian Caring Community.
After which she worked as the CEO of the Uganda Women’s Parliamentary Association of the Ugandan Parliament until July 2012.
Before taking on the role of Executive Director at the Institute for Social Transformation in 2016, she worked there as a Policy Analyst from August 2012 to 2016.
In 2021, she won the parliamentary seat for Woman Representative (MP) of Mbarara city with 18,738 votes.
Achievements and Awards
Her organization devised the concept of a health insurance plan for women working in city markets. Individual members contribute Shs 5000 per week to their health insurance under this scheme.
In 2018, she developed the Market Garden App, which allows women in the market to sell their products to targeted buyers using their phones.
In 2022, she urged people to prepare for and benefit from the parish development model. She distributed 3000 kuroilers to various groups of people as part of phase one, with the goal of covering the entire Mbarara City.
Hon. Rita in partnership with her team presented three tonnes of maize seeds to farmers in Bugashe, Nyarubungo and Kichwamba during the rainy season.
In March 2020, she teamed up with the Rotary Club of Mbarara to initiate a safe motherhood run on March 27, 2022, to raise funds for the construction of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Mbarara RRH, with a T-shirt costing UGX25,000.
She has fought violence against women and children especially by spearheading the 16 Days Of Activism in November 2021.
She also requested that the government should enforce the contentious Computer Misuse Act in order to reduce online violence against women.
She gave the speech while delivering the opening remarks at a social gathering for women and youth in technology to discuss their experiences, prospects, and approaches to how women and youth can use media platforms to communicate with one another and create effective connections that can help them advance in their various entrepreneurship careers.
Controversies
In the 2021 General elections, Rita Atukwasa defeated Bonnie in the NRM Primaries for the seat of the Women’s Member of Parliament in Mbarara City. However, NRM later dropped her and fronted Bonnie in her place.
After being dropped by NRM in favour of Bonnie Kashaija, Hon Rita Atukwasa went ahead to contest for the same position as an independent candidate and she emerged victorious.
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