The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs is set to exit Cabinet as new government comes in place next Month ,this website has learnt.
Although Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga remains one of Uganda’s longest-serving female politicians age has caught up with her to engage in active politics however while meeting the appointiming committee Kadaga preferred to retire and give opportunity to young blood she however will remain as Woman Member of Parliament for Kamuli District
Rebecca Kadaga was successfully re-elected as the Woman Member of Parliament for Kamuli District during the 2026 general elections. Kadaga, who represents the National Resistance Movement (NRM), officially swore her oath of office for the 2026–2031 term.
She has represented Kamuli District as Woman MP since 1989. She later served in government as Minister of State for Regional Cooperation, Minister of State for Communication and Aviation, and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
Kadaga became Deputy Speaker in 2001 and held the post until 2011. She then made history as Uganda’s first female Speaker of Parliament, serving from May 19, 2011, to May 21, 2021. She lost the 2021 speakership race to Jacob Oulanyah after the NRM backed Oulanyah.
Museveni later appointed her First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs in June 2021.
Kadaga and Among have also been political rivals within the NRM. In 2025, during a heated NRM meeting in which Museveni proposed a compromise between Kadaga and Among over the party’s eastern region vice chairperson race, but the two sides failed to agree.
Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga aa trailblazing figure in Ugandan politics, was the first woman to establish a private law firm in the country and the first female Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda
Personal & Educational Background
Born in May 1956 in Kamuli District, Eastern Uganda. She is highly educated, possessing both a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Makerere University and a Master of Arts in Women’s Law from the University of Zimbabwe. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Nkumba University
Early Career & Activism
Before entering active politics, Kadaga was deeply involved in legal activism, notably serving as the president of FIDA Uganda (the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers). She founded the country’s first legal aid center to support disadvantaged individuals who could not afford representation
Political Milestones
Kadaga was elected as the Woman Member of Parliament for Kamuli District, a seat she has held uninterrupted for over three decades.
Served in various ministerial positions, including Minister of State for Regional Cooperation and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Deputy Speaker of Parliament. between 2001 to 2021
She made history as the first woman to be elected Speaker of the Parliament of Uganda. and oversaw the passage of key legislation focused on women’s empowerment, including strict laws against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and human trafficking.
:Following a highly contested election for Speaker in 2021, she was appointed by President Yoweri Museveni to her current executive role as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for East African Community Affairs
International & Social Contributions
Beyond domestic politics, Kadaga has held several prestigious international roles, including serving as the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (African Region). She is also recognized for her philanthropic efforts, notably running the Kami Girls Education Trust Fund, which has supported the education of thousands of underprivileged children in her home region
