Faridah Nambi

Faridah Nambi Kigongo
Nambi (left) with politician Rosemary Seninde
Other nameFaridah Nambi
EducationBachelor of Business Administration (Marketing); Master of Business Administration
Alma materMakerere University Business School; Edinburgh Business School
OccupationsPolitician, social worker, talk show host
Known forFounder and executive director of Nambi Children Initiatives; host of Nambi Talkshow
Political party
National Resistance Movement
FatherMoses Kigongo

Faridah Nambi Kigongo (commonly known as Faridah Nambi) is a Ugandan politician, media personality and social activist. She is the founder and executive director of Nambi Children Initiatives[1] (established in 2006) and the host of Nambi Talkshow, a programme previously broadcast on NTV Uganda.[2][3]

She has contested elections on the ticket of the National Resistance Movement (NRM), including for Kampala District Woman Representative in the 2021 general election and for the Kawempe North parliamentary seat in the March 2025 by-election.[4][5]

Early life and education

A 2010 Daily Monitor profile described Nambi as a Muslim woman from Butambala District.[6]

In March 2025, Daily Monitor reported that she attended Gayaza Junior School and Kawempe Muslim Secondary School, later earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from Makerere University Business School and a Master of Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School.[7]

Career

Social work

Nambi founded Nambi Children Initiatives in 2006 as a charitable organisation supporting orphans and other vulnerable children, including in Kampala's informal settlements.[2][3]

A 2010 Daily Monitor profile reported that she left a job at the Civil Aviation Authority, where she had worked for seven years, to focus on community work through her organisation.[6]

Television and public communication

Nambi created Nambi Talkshow in 2007, a programme described in the White House summit participant biography as featuring elders discussing values and life skills, and broadcast on NTV Uganda.[3] New Vision has described the programme as a national talk show that has hosted debates on issues such as HIV/AIDS.[8]

International engagement

Nambi attended the U.S. Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington, D.C., in April 2010, an event hosted by President Barack Obama.[6][3]

A White House blog post about the summit discussed her work and noted that she was introduced as having earned the nickname "The Oprah of Uganda" for her talk show work.[9]

Political career

NRM primaries and the 2021 Kampala Woman MP election

Uganda Radio Network reported that Nambi won the NRM primary for the Kampala District Woman parliamentary seat in September 2020, polling 9,005 votes at the tally centre in Kawempe.[10]

Official results published by the Electoral Commission for the 2021 parliamentary elections show that she finished second in the Kampala District Woman Representative race with 94,870 votes, behind National Unity Platform candidate Shamim Malende (314,865 votes).[4]

2025 Kawempe North by-election

In January 2025, the NRM selected Nambi as its flag bearer for the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election held after the death of incumbent MP Muhammad Ssegirinya.[11]

According to New Vision, the by-election, held on 13 March 2025, was won by the National Unity Platform candidate Elias Nalukoola with 17,764 votes, while Nambi placed second with 8,593 votes.[5]

Daily Monitor reported that she later withdrew an application seeking a vote recount after the Electoral Commission had gazetted the winner.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Here is our promise as you vote, candidates tell Kawempe". Monitor. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Nabilah to face off with Kigongo's daughter and Stella Nyanzi". New Vision. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "A New Beginning: Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship Participant Bios" (PDF). The White House (archived). 9 June 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  4. 1 2 "General Parliamentary Elections, 2021: Member of Parliament Election Results" (PDF). Electoral Commission (Uganda). 23 February 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Kawempe North: Why it was a do-or-die race". New Vision. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Namaganda, Agnes K. (4 June 2010). "Two young women bitten by the Obama bug". Daily Monitor. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  7. ↑ "Here is our promise as you vote, candidates tell Kawempe". Daily Monitor. 13 March 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  8. ↑ "Nambi talk show revives debate on HIV/Aids". New Vision. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  9. ↑ Monteiro, Paul (4 May 2010). "Unleashing the Power of Women Entrepreneurs". The White House (archived). Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  10. ↑ Walukamba, Aldon (4 September 2020). "Nambi, Kasenge Win in Kawempe NRM Primaries". Uganda Radio Network. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  11. ↑ "NRM names Faridah Nambi flag bearer for Kawempe North by-election". Daily Monitor. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.
  12. ↑ "Kawempe North by-election: Why NRM's Nambi withdrew vote recount petition". Daily Monitor. 25 March 2025. Retrieved 15 December 2025.