Dr Frank Nabwiso displays some of the books he has authored since retiring from active politics at his home in Iganga Municipality. PHOTO | DENIS EDEMA
Dr Frank Nabwiso, 83, who represented Kagoma County in Jinja District during the seventh Parliament, has embraced writing as his primary focus, drawing on his academic background.
He prides in rising from a Grade III teacher to earn a PhD in Adult Education and Rural Development, an achievement that set him for great things.
Dr Nabwiso, who contested on the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket, said he avoided business ventures because he was "unskilled" in that area. Instead, he dedicated his time to documenting historical events, producing six books to preserve the past for future generations.
“During the seventh Parliament, I refused to take money to lift the presidential term limits where money was being exchanged. My colleagues were able to set up commercial houses, but I only own a residential house in Namanve,’’ Dr Nabwiso shared in an interview with Daily Monitor.
He also owns a house on Ssaza Road in Iganga District, a place of significance as it’s where he met his wife, Christian Kagoya Nabwiso, a secretary.
This house is separate from their home in Mutai Village, Kagoma County.
His works include three books detailing the history of Busoga Kingdom’s 11 hereditary chiefs, and biographies of Dr James Batwala, a renowned obstetrician/gynecologist, and Yekonia Zirabamuzaale, the first MP from the Busoga Sub-region in 1945.
Wealth and family
Dr Nabwiso credits his wife for her unwavering support, especially in retirement.
As a volunteer at the Jinja Catholic Research Centre, he continues to contribute to research while writing more books.
“I remain strong, sober, and focused by staying engaged,” he says, noting that he is careful with his diet, consuming only plantains, greens, and tea, while avoiding alcohol and starchy foods to maintain mental clarity.
To ensure his research is accurate, Dr Nabwiso contacts sources in the morning, when they are “fresh” and can provide reliable information for his writing.
Although faced with financial challenges in book production, he emphasises that he is not in need, as his children provide for him.
“I cannot run a butchery to sell rotten meat or a bar to sell alcohol. My children look after me,” he remarked, referring to his six biological children and three adopted ones.
Two of his sons, Matthew and Jonathan Nabwiso, work in the film industry and earn substantial incomes from it.
While his academic achievements afforded him good jobs, Dr Nabwiso attributes his modest economic status to his decision to help the needy during his prime earning years, saying: “I never wanted to see people suffering.”
He also recalled traveling to Parliament by public taxi, spending just Shs2,000 on transportation, while his colleagues “wasted money fuelling their cars”.
Academic achievements
Dr Nabwiso began his tertiary education with a Grade III teaching certificate from the National Teachers’ College, Kyambogo.
He later earned a Bachelor’s Degree in History and Political Science from Makerere University in 1967.
In 1968, he received a scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in African Development Studies at the University of Sussex, UK.
While there, he crossed paths with figures like South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki, Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi, and Kenya’s Prof George Saitoti.
In 1976, he completed his PhD in Adult Education and Rural Development from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Dr Nabwiso advises politicians to avoid treating their roles as permanent careers.
“If your term is over, go and do other things; avoid making politics a lifetime career,” he says, cautioning against borrowing money to secure political office, as this leads to a desperate desire to cling to power.
Alongside his numerous roles as a teacher, journalist, politician, and researcher, Dr Nabwiso remains active in writing and enjoys singing church songs, a passion he inherited from his late parents.
TRACK RECORD
Employment
In 1962, Dr Nabwiso joined Radio Uganda as Lusoga news anchor after serving teaching at Kaliro Junior Secondary School and Bishop Wills Teachers’ Training College in Iganga.
In 1969, he was appointed resident tutor at the Centre for Continuing Education Makerere University Busoga and East Mengo Sub-region, replacing the late Prof Apollo Nsibambi Between 1969 and 1970, Dr Nabwiso also taught senior army officers at Gaddafi Barracks Development Studies.
In 1976, he was appointed Regional International Officer at International Planned Parenthood Federation in Nairobi, Kenya for five years, after which he joined Intra-Health International, a programme for international training for health, which was being implemented by the
University of North Carolina in the United States.
In 1984, he joined the National Resistance Movement (NRM) and became Secretary for the external wing, and in 1985, he was the Secretary of the peace talks in Nairobi, Kenya between the Ugandan government led by President Tito Okello Lutwa and the NRA led by Yoweri Museveni.
In 1987, he was appointed Executive Director of Uganda Export Promotion Council for a five-year term, after which he became the second director Aids Information Centre (AIC) for three years.
In 1989, he started preparing for elective politics, which saw him elected Kagoma County MP from 2001 to 2006. In 2007, He was selected by the United States-based National Democratic Institute to monitor presidential elections in Sierra Leone.
In 2008, he was appointed Secretary of the Interparty cooperation which had emerged, including Uganda People’s Congress (UPC), Democratic Party (DP), Justice Forum (Jeema), and FDC and Conservative Party (CP).
In 2013, he was elected acting Vice Chancellor of Busoga University, and is currently volunteering on research at Cultural Research Centre in Jinja under the Catholic Diocese.
