The Dokolo District woman Member of Parliament, Atat Cecilia Atim Ogwal has died from a hospital in India where she had been admitted.
Mostly referred to as a renown iconic legislator, MP Atim Ogwal, also the once-famous UPC Iron Lady succumbed to cancer on January 18, 2024.
Aged 77, Cecilia Atim Ogwal represented Dokolo District in the 11th Parliament since 2006, when the district was created.
Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among has confirmed her demise.
“It is with a heavy heart and pain that I announce the passing of our Mother, Mentor and role model Imat Cecilia Atim Ogwal, the Honourable Member representing the Women of Dokolo District. I send my sincere sympathies to her dear husband and the family, friends, the people of Lango and colleagues! May her soul find eternal rest,” said Speaker Among.
“We have just received the sad news of the demise of Hon. Cecilia Ogwal. A lady who loved her country with passion. A nationalist who looked beyond party colors when addressing national issues whether locally or while in international fora. We have lost a political icon!” said Minister of Works Gen. Katumba Wamala.
Previously, MP Atim Ogwal represented Lira Municipality during the Constituent Assembly until 2005, when she lost to Obote’s son, Jimmy Akena Obote.
“It is sad; Mama Cecilia Ogwal is no more; she is gone,” said a close family source.
Ogwal has been serving as a member of the parliamentary Committee on Physical Infrastructure, in charge of overseeing and covering policy matters related to land, housing, urban development, works and transport, and physical planning.
Born on June 12, 1946, Ogwal, who was a defence contractor and management consultant, has been a member of Uganda’s legislature continuously since 1996.
In 1969, at the age of 23, she won the “Miss Uganda” contest.
Ogwal was born in Dokolo District, Northern Uganda, on June 12, 1946. She attended local schools in Uganda.
In 1967, at the age of 21, she was admitted to the University of East Africa in Nairobi (now known as the University of Nairobi) to study for a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
She graduated from Nairobi University in 1970. She also holds a Certificate in Human Resources Management from what was then called the Institute of Public Administration but is now known as the Uganda Management Institute.
From1979 until 1980, Ogwal worked at the Uganda Embassy in Kenya as the liaison officer for returning Ugandan refugees.
From 1980 until 1981, she worked as the operations manager at the Uganda Advisory Board of Trade.
In 1982, she was one of the founders of Housing Finance Bank, working there until 1984. She served as the Chairperson of the Uganda Development Bank from 1981 until 1986.
She became involved in Ugandan politics, serving as the Acting Secretary General of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) from 1985 to 1992.
In 1994, she was part of the Constituent Assembly, which drafted and promulgated the 1995 Ugandan Constitution.
She remained a high-ranking official in the UPC political party until 2004.
During the 2006 parliamentary elections, she lost her Lira Municipality seat to Jimmy Akena, the son of UPC founder Milton Obote.
During the 2005 UPC grassroots election, Ogwal was rigged out in a move that led to her eventual movement to the Forum for Democratic Change.
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