| Barbie Kyagulanyi | |
| Birth Name: | Barbara Itungo |
| Birth Date: | 1984 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Ntungamo, Uganda |
| Occupation: | Author |
| Education: | Helen's Primary School Bweranyangi Girls' Senior Secondary School |
| Alma Mater: | Makerere University |
| Years Active: | –present |
| Children: | Solomon Kampala, Shalom Namagembe, Mbogo Shadrack, Nakayi Suubi |
| Awards: |
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Barbara Kyagulanyi (born September 7, 1984) is a Ugandan philanthropist and author. She is the wife to notable Ugandan singer and politician Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, alias Bobi Wine.[1] [2] She is the author of "Golden Memories of a Village Belle" published in 2012.[3] [4] She also co-owns and manages One love beach, a resort and recreational facility which was founded by her husband- Bobi Wine.
In 2013, she founded Caring Hearts Uganda, an NGO which focuses on adolescent girls, HIV/AIDS education and menstrual hygiene.[5] [6] The NGO has donated infrastructure and resources to schools for marginalized and internally displaced children.[7]
In 2018, Barbie campaigned for her husband Bobi Wine to become a member of parliament and later for presidency in 2020 with her manifesto about women's rights.[8] She fought for the release of Bobi Wine when he was jailed at the Nalufenya detention facility during his presidential campaign in 2020.Both were put under house arrest without a trial by Ugandan security forces in 2021 due to fears Bobi's public presence could incite riots. Eleven days later the house arrest was ruled illegal.[9] [10]
Their campaign for presidency was depicted in the documentary which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2024.[11]
Barbie was born on the September 7, 1984, in Ntungamo District, South Western Uganda. Her parents are Doctors Gershom Kagaju and Joy Kagaju. She attended St. Hellen's Primary School, Nyamitanga in Mbarara, Bweranyangi Girls' school in Bushenyi for her O and A levels for six years. She then joined Makerere University where she studied Social work and Social Administration. She also completed a master's degree in Human Rights at the University of London.[12] Barbie met Bobi Wine when she was in high school while Bobi was a student of Music, Dance and Drama at Makerere University. The two married in 2011 at Rubaga Cathedral in Kampala after living together for 10 years. They have four children.
Barbara was awarded for her vocational Service Award by the Bugolobi Rotaract Club In 2018, she received an award for Excellence in Leadership award by The AidChild Leadership institute/Uganda. In 2020, she was awarded The teen's most favorite social media star by Teenz Awards 2020. She was also awarded for supporting teen mothers by The Remnant Generation, an award that counsels and supports teem mothers in Uganda.[13]