Dorothy Barbara Saben (1912 – 16 September 2014) was a

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

n politician. She and Alice Boase were appointed to the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

in 1954, becoming its first female members. Saben later served as the first female mayor of

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...

Biography

Saben was born in India in 1912. After receiving a private education, she studied at St James College in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

form 1931 to 1932. She moved to Uganda in 1940 with her businessman husband.Mijail C. Mendoza Escalante & Joy C. Kwesiga (2002) ''The Women's Movement in Uganda: History, Challenges, and Prospects'', p206 She was a founder member of the Uganda Council of Women in 1946. In the

1951 New Year Honours The 1951 New Years Honours were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1951 for the Brit ...

she was awarded an MBE for her public service in Uganda. She was also a founder member of the National Council of Social Service, serving as its president. In 1954 Saben and Alice Boase were appointed to the Legislative Council, becoming its first female members.

Aili Mari Tripp Aili Mari Tripp (born 24 May 1958) is a Finnish and American political scientist, currently the Wangari Maathai Professor of Political Science and Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Education and early career ...

(2012
''Women and Politics in Uganda''
p39 Following the

1958 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1958. Africa * 1958 French Togoland parliamentary election * 1958 Nigerien Constituent Assembly election * 1958 South African general election * 1958 Southern Rhodesian general election * 1958 Sudanese ...

she became deputy chair of the Representative Members' Organisation, a grouping of the nominated members. She remained on the Council until 1961. Saben had also become a member of Kampala City Council when it was established. After serving as deputy mayor from 1959 to 1960, she became the first female mayor of the city in 1961, serving until 1962. She was awarded a CBE in the

1963 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1963 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced in supplements to ''The Lon ...

; later in the same year she resigned from the City Council.''Who's who in East Africa'', 1965, p103 She died in the United Kingdom in September 2014.Dorothy Barbara Saben C.B.E.
Eastern Daily Press, 23 September 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saben, Barbara 1912 births Members of the Order of the British Empire Women members of the Parliament of Uganda Members of the Parliament of Uganda Mayors of Kampala Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 2014 deaths Women mayors of places in Uganda