Proscovia Nalweyiso Explained

Proscovia Nalweyiso
Honorific Prefix:Lieutenant General
Birth Date:1 June 1954
Birth Place:Rakai District, Uganda
Years Active:1982 - present
Nationality:Ugandan
Citizenship:Uganda
Known For:Military Matters
Adviser to the President of Uganda on military matters

Proscovia Nalweyiso, is a senior Ugandan military officer in the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF).[1] At the rank of lieutenant general, she is the highest ranking female officer, in the Ugandan military.[2] [3]

Background

She was born in June 1954, in Mpigi District, in a family with 20 children.[1] [3] In 1979, she began work as a schoolteacher and typist in her home area. During this period, she became an active member of the Ugandan Democratic Party.[1] [3]

Following the 1980 Ugandan national elections and the subsequent formation of the National Resistance Army (NRA), Nalweyiso joined the guerrillas in the bush in 1982.[1] [3]

Military career

In 1983 a unit of female NRA fighters was formed and Nalweyiso was appointed as its commandant. The following year, the unit was relocated from Luweero District in Central Uganda, to Western Uganda.[1] [3]

In 1985, the unit Nalweyiso commanded, participated in the NRA forces that attacked Mbarara military barracks. Following that deployment, the NRA Women's Wing settled in Fort Portal, until the war ended in 1986.[1]

In 1986, when the NRA captured power, Nalweyiso was given the rank of captain and appointed the commandant of the 800-member women's wing in the army, at that time. She steadily rose through the ranks and by 2000 was at the rank of lieutenant colonel.[1] [3]

For over a decade prior to her promotion to major general, she had worked at the Uganda State House as an aide and military adviser to the president of Uganda.[1] [3] [4]

In February 2019, in a promotions exercise that involved over 2,000 men and women of the UPDF, she was promoted from the rank of major general to lieutenant general.[5]

Personal

In 1974, while still a civilian, Nalweyiso married an army officer. She later separated from her husband. She is the mother of four children.[1] [3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 20 June 2017 . Home Life style Brig. Nalweyiso: Woman of many firsts . 3 October 2011 . New Vision. Kampala. Joshua . Kato.
  2. Web site: 20 June 2017 . 13 January 2017 . Nalweyiso promoted to Major General in new army reshuffle. New Vision Quoting Military Press Release . Kampala . Paddy . Ankunda.
  3. Web site: Maj. Gen Proscovia Nalweyiso; The highest-ranking female officer in UPDF . 20 June 2017 . 13 January 2017 . Uganda Watchdog. Kampala . Najibu . Mulema.
  4. Web site: Uganda: Brig Nalweyiso Rallies Behind Gen Kayihura on Police Brutality . Siraje . The Observer (Uganda) via AllAfrica.com. Kampala . Lubwama. 20 June 2017 . 3 August 2016.
  5. Web site: 8 February 2019 . . Museveni promotes over 2,000 UPDF Officers . Monitor Reporter . 8 February 2019 . Kampala.