By Spy Uganda
Kampala: Prominent opposition legislator Cecilia Atim Ogwal, who has been terminally ill, has died finally succumbed to Cancer.
The speaker of parliament, Anita Annet Among confirmed the death of the 77-year-old Dokolo Woman MP who for long served as a member of parliament for Lira Municipality.
“It is with a heavy heart and pain that I announce the passing of our Mother, Mentor, and role model Imat Cecilia Atim Ogwal, the Honourable Member representing the Women of Dokolo District. I send my sincere sympathies to her dear husband and the family, friends, the people of Lango, and colleagues! May her soul find eternal rest.” Speaker Among said.
In the same way the deputy speaker, Thomas Tayebwa has also paid tribute to Cecilia Ogwal and commended her for her contribution to the politics of modern Uganda.
“When and I received the news of your terminal illness last week, we hoped that you would have a few more months to bid us a quiet farewell. It saddens us that we did not have the chance to physically say goodbye,” Tayebwa said.
“You have left us during a time when we needed you the most. This loss is deeply felt, not only by Uganda, but by the entire world, especially the parliamentary fraternity. Your death is truly heartbreaking. You were instrumental in guiding and shaping local leaders, as well as advocating for a just global agenda where the voice of the global south was heard especially in the OACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Your remarkable contributions will forever be etched in the annals of history,” Tayebwa added.
Full Biography
Ogwal has been serving as a member of the parliamentary Committee of Physical Infrastructure in charge of overseeing and covering policy matters related to Lands, Housing, Urban development, Works and Transport, and Physical Planning. She was also a member of the budget committee.
Born 12 June 1946, Ogwal, who was a defence contractor and management consultant, has been a member of Uganda’s legislature continuously since 1996.
In 1969, at the age of 23, she won the “Miss Uganda” contest.
Ogwal was born in Dokolo District, Northern Uganda, on 12 June 1946. She attended local schools in Uganda.
In 1967, at the age of 21, she was admitted to the University of East Africa in Nairobi (now known as the University of Nairobi) to study for a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
She graduated from Nairobi University in 1970. She also holds a Certificate in Human Resources Management from what was then called the Institute of Public Administration, but is now known as Uganda Management Institute.
Education Career
From 1979 until 1980, Ogwal worked at the Uganda Embassy in Kenya, as the Liaison Officer for Returning Ugandan Refugees.
From 1980 until 1981, she worked as the Operations Manager at the Uganda Advisory Board of Trade.
In 1982, she was one of the founders of Housing Finance Bank, working there until 1984. She served as the Chairperson of Uganda Development Bank, from 1981 until 1986.
She became involved in Ugandan politics, serving as the Acting Secretary General of Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) from 1985 to 1992.
In 1994, she was part of the Constituent Assembly which drafted and promulgated the 1995 Ugandan Constitution.
She remained a high-ranking official in the UPC political party until 2004.
During the 2006 parliamentary elections, she lost her Lira Municipality seat to Jimmy Akena, the son of UPC founder Milton Obote.
In 2011, Ogwal contested and won the Women’s Representative seat for the newly created Dokolo District and switched political parties and ran as a member of the Forum for Democratic Change party.
