Hon. Agnes Nandutu- A woman who has risen from Grass to Grace

It excites me to share the inspiring story of a woman who has risen from grass to grace. I hope it encourages another woman. Hon. Agnes Nandutu former journalist now State Minister in charge of Karamoja was a guest on NTV in the  MwasuzeMutya programme. 

\"I was born in a poor family and my parents separated when I was still young so I grew up with my paternal grandfather. I studied my primary in Bumawali Primary school and we used to first dig before going to school. I got aggregate 5 in P7.(excellent grade)

I dropped out of school before senior four and I decided to cross over from Bududa to Kenya where I worked as a housemaid in Nakuru and later Nairobi. My mother was working as a housemaid in Kenya too and I worked there for 3 years 

My mother sent me back to Uganda but I was demotivated to go back to school so I decided to head to Mbale where I worked in a restaurant and bar. My bosses liked me because I was a hard worker and trustworthy. I later  came to Kampala with my cousin.

In Kampala we were living in Wabigalo, a slum in Namuwongo and my plan was to land a job in a good restaurant or hotel, make money and go back to school. My cousin had a friend at Radio Uganda and I used to tour the place and one day I gave it a try.

I did voice training and started presenting a health show on radio. I was a freelancer then and my first salary was UGX 16000. My friend encouraged me to study journalism so I went to Uganda Institute of Business and Media studies and got a certificate.

I joined Monitor Newspaper publications and told them I wanted to write. When my first story appeared in the paper, I decided to go back to school and get a diploma to improve my writing skills. I was freelancing both at Radio Uganda and Monitor Newspaper Publication and still joined Impact radio.

By the time I joined Impact radio FM I had four children. I had to juggle motherhood and about four jobs at the same time. I started reporting at parliament at Impact FM and one time while I was in the field at the workshop I got into labor.

My passion for journalism helped me land those jobs despite being a dropout. In spite of my educational background, I never wrote a false story during my time at Monitor. At Monitor, life was good because I had a good salary and I used to travel.

On recommendation from NTV's Samuel Ssettumba, I started working on NTV as a reporter. I resigned from Monitor and crossed to TV even though I was being offered a promotion. My first story was on Buganda road eviction and later I started 'Point blank\".

When I started the People's Parliament, I wanted to give people a voice. People started pushing me to stand for MP but I wasn't interested. I wanted to retire in the newsroom. In 2013 I went back to school at Uphill College Mbuya to complete my S4.

I sat my senior 6 in the same school in 2015 and I did not pass so I went back in 2017 and resat my exams . Wherever I could go, people were pushing me to join politics, my Pastor inclusive. Daniel Kalinaki encouraged me to join politics without money.

In Bududa primaries, I walked door to door because I had no money and I was well-liked but I  lost primaries. During elections, two people were disqualified which worked to my advantage. The incumbent won 2/28 sub-counties only and I cried when I won.

I did not see the ministerial position coming as a first-timer. The president has been my friend for a long time as a journalist but we were not that close.  Being an MP was enough for me because winning a seat was a miracle. I read the cabinet list and cried because I was in disbelief\".

Let me know what you think!