Esther Opoti Dhugira (9 September 1962 – 18 August 2001) was a Ugandan legislator and woman Member of Parliament for Nebbi District in Uganda's 7th Parliament. In Uganda's Constituent Assembly between 1994 and 1995, she represented Okoro County in Nebbi. Dhugira alongside Winnie Byanyima and others was one of the founders of Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE).

Background and education

According to her eulogy given by Loyce Bwambale at a parliamentary sitting in 2001, Dhugira was born to Onenoth Opoti Jalmoi, a District Education Officer and Vitali Opoti in Kituli town. She attended a number of primary schools such as Arua Public School in 1969 and completed her primary education at Kitgum Public School. She proceeded to Kitgum High School, Dr. Obote College, and Boroboro in

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

, where she finished her O-level studies in 1983. Dhugira obtained a

Diploma in Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the ...

at Onyama National Teachers College in

Gulu Gulu is a city in the Northern Region of Uganda. It is the commercial and administrative centre of Gulu District. The coordinates of the city of Gulu are 2°46'54.0"N 32°17'57.0"E. The city's distance from Kampala, Uganda's capital and large ...

as well as Nkozi Teachers Training College in 1987. She later attended

Makerere University Makerere University (; Mak) is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, first established as a technical school in 1922, and the oldest currently active university in East Africa. It became an independent national university in ...

where she graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences Degree, specialising in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

with a bias in

Public Administration Public administration, or public policy and administration refers to "the management of public programs", or the "translation of politics into the reality that citizens see every day",Kettl, Donald and James Fessler. 2009. ''The Politics of the ...

and

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

Career

In 1998, Dhugira was a teacher at Erusi Senior Secondary School in Nebbi and thereafter she joined the National Resistance Council (NRC) in 1989. She was elected to the Board of Directors, Kinyara Sugar Works Limited in 1991 and was also a Director at Immigration Control Board, from 1994.She was also a Member of the Appointments Board at the Institute of Education, ITEK –

Kyambogo Kyambogo is a neighborhood in Kampala, Uganda. It is within Nakawa Division, an administrative borough of Kampala, Uganda's capital city. Location Kyambogo sits on Banda Hill, which rises to an altitude of , above sea level. The neighborhood is bo ...

. During Uganda's 1994 Ugandan Constituent Assembly election, Dhugira was elected as the delegate to represent Okoro County in

Nebbi Nebbi is a town in the Nebbi District of the Northern Region, Uganda, Northern Region of Uganda. It is the site of the district headquarters. Location Nebbi is located in the West Nile sub-region, along the Karuma–Olwiyo–Pakwach–Nebbi–Aru ...

. She unsuccessfully contested parliamentary election against the late Anthony Ofwori Rugete in 1996 . She contested again in the 2001 general elections and was the Woman Representative for

in Uganda's 7th Parliament till her death the same year. She was replaced by Betty Odongo Pacuto. In 1995, alongside

Winnie Byanyima Winifred Byanyima (born 13 January 1959), is a Uganda, Ugandan aeronautical engineering, aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist and diplomat. She is the executive director of UNAIDS, effective November 2019. From M ...

, Solome Mukisa, Betty Akech, Loyce Bwambale,

Tezira Jamwa Tezira Jamwa is a Ugandan teacher, politician and women's rights activist. She represented Tororo in the 1994 Constituent Assembly and thereafter was the Member of Parliament for West Budama North County in Uganda's sixth parliament (1996–20 ...

Margaret Zziwa Margaret Nantongo Zziwa is a Ugandan politician and legislator. She served as the Speaker of the 3rd East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in Arusha, Tanzania. She was elected to serve in that capacity in June 2012. She was impeached and voted ...

, Benigna Mukiibi and Margaret Ssebagereka, Dhugira co-founded FOWODE.

Personal life

On 18 August 2001, Dhugira died at

Mulago Hospital Mulago National Specialised Hospital, also known as Mulago National Referral Hospital, is a component of Mulago Hospital Complex, the teaching facility of Makerere University College of Health Sciences. It is the largest public hospital in U ...

, where she had been admitted for three weeks with chronic ulcers. She was survived by two daughters.

References

External links

Website of FOWODE Uganda
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhugira, Esther Opoti 1962 births 2001 deaths Ugandan women People from Nebbi District Members of the Parliament of Uganda Makerere University alumni 20th-century Ugandan politicians 20th-century Ugandan women politicians

Background and education

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links