| Miria Matembe | |
| Constituency Mp: | Uganda |
| Parliament: | Pan-African |
| Term Start: | 2003 |
| Term End: | Unknown |
Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe is a Ugandan lawyer, politician and gender equality advocate.[1]
In June 2006, she became a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow with the National Endowment for Democracy.[2]
Matembe was born on 28 August 1953 in Bwizibwera, Kashaari, Mbarara to Samwiri Rukoza and Eseza Kajwengye. She is the fourth-born of nine children (five boys and four girls).[3]
Matembe attended Rutooma Primary School, after which she proceeded to Bweranyangi Girls’ Senior Secondary School for her O-Level studies. She continued to Namasagali College for her A-Level studies.[4]
Matembe obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from Makerere University and, later, a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Warwick.[5]
Matembe began her career as a State Attorney in the Department of Public Prosecutions at the Ministry of Justice. She then worked as a Lecturer in Law at the Uganda College of Commerce from 1979 to 1983.
Later, she worked as a Senior Lecturer in Law at the Chartered Institute of Bankers from 1983 to 1989 before joining politics.[6]
From 1989 to 1994, she served as a Member of the National Resistance Council, representing Mbarara District.
She then served as a Constituent Assembly Delegate from 1994-1995.
In 1996, she was elected Woman Member of Parliament for Mbarara District, a seat she held until 2006.[7]
She also served as Uganda’s first Minister of Ethics and Integrity from 1998 to 2003.
Since retiring from elective politics in 2006, she has continued to be a passionate and outspoken advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Matembe has been a strong proponent and advocate of women's rights in Uganda for more than three decades and has authored several articles and books to that effect.
In October 2006, she gave a lecture entitled, "Women, War, Peace: Politics in Peacebuilding" at the University of San Diego's Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series.[8]
She married Nekemia Matembe in July 1975. They have four children and several grandchildren.[12]