Sylvia Rwabogo

Sylvia Rwabwogo is a Ugandan journalist and politician, who served as the District Woman Representative for Kabarole District, in the 10th Parliament (2016–2021), in the Parliament of Uganda.^[1]

She was born in Kabarole District on 12 May 1976. She attended Ugandan schools until she graduated Senior 4 in 1994. She went on to obtain a certificate in Project Planning and Management from Makerere University, in 1998. She followed that with a certificate in computer science, obtained in 2000, also from Makerere University. In 2002, she graduated with a Diploma in Journalism and Media Management, from the Uganda Management Institute, in Kampala, the capital and largest city in Uganda. She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree, awarded by the Mountains of the Moon University, in Fort Portal, in the Western Region of Uganda.^[1]

Rwabogo started her career in 1997, working as a community programme officer for women and child development. She then worked as a community trainer for a non-profit organisation called Africa Media Alliance, serving in that capacity until 2000. For one year, she worked as an intern news-reporter for the New Vision newspaper.^[1]

For the next thirteen years, until 2015, she worked in various capacities with several radio stations, including (a) Voice of Toro (b) Better FM and (c) Hits FM.^[1]

Beginning in 2006, for the next ten years, Sylvia Rwabogo worked as a member of the Kabarole District Administration, including as the Secretary General of Kabarole District Council for seven years, as a District Councillor for five years, as the District Deputy Speaker for another five years; with some roles overlapping in time.^[1]

In 2016, she won the Kabarole Women Representative constituency on the National Resistance Movement political party ticket.^[2][3]

During the 2017 parliamentary debate about removing the age-limit restrictions from the Ugandan Constitution, Rwabogo was a vocal opponent of the age amendment.^[4]

Beginning in November 2017, Sylvia Rwabogo began receiving unsolicited telephone calls and SMS messages from someone, whom the MP first mistook for a constituent.^[5] Later, the phone calls became romantic, and when she blocked her tormentor's phone number, her tormentor turned to text messages.^[6]

When the unwanted messages persisted, Ms. Rwabogo, who is single, reported the matter to the police, who laid a trap for the arrest of the harasser. The culprit turned out to be a 25-year-old male college student, who admitted to sending the offensive communication. He was promptly found guilty, and sentenced to two years behind bars.^[7]

Sylvia Rwabogo is a member of the parliamentary committee on HIV/AIDS and related diseases. She also concurrently serves on the parliamentary committee on agriculture.^[1]

• Parliament of Uganda
• Kabarole District

• Website of the Parliament of Uganda