Stella Mukasa
Photo: African Feminist Forum
Country: Uganda
Location: Kampala, Uganda
ABOUT
Stella Nansikombi Mukasa Makubuya (November 11, 1967–September 5, 2018) was a Ugandan women's rights activist and human rights lawyer. She was the Regional Director for Africa at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).
Biography by Jaedyn Griddine
Image of Stella Mukasa. Photo Credit: African Feminist Forum.
Stella Mukasa was a woman of many titles and responsibilities, all of which she took on for the purpose of not only protecting women from violence, but also to ensure that every woman, no matter their age or national origin, had an opportunity to succeed.
Stella was born to Dorcus and Peter Mukasa in 1967 in the Buganda region of Uganda. She described herself as a feminist by nature, recalling that she frequently contested instances of gender inequality even as a child. She attended and graduated Gayaza High School, then continued on to earn her Bachelor’s in law at Makerere University in Uganda and her master’s in law at University of Warwick in the UK. In addition to attending Makerere University, Mukasa also worked in their department of social sciences as a faculty member, where she taught gender studies, law and human rights. Her first work experience was at the Ministry of Women in Development, where she advocated for women’s rights and contributed to Uganda’s 1995 Constitution. A pivotal moment in her early career occurred when she testified at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights for a victim of sexual assault; this experience further impassioned her to dedicate her life toward the advancement of women. She carried this fight in her public and private life; she once recounted a moment in her marriage where she had to advocate for herself so that she would be recognized equally on the title to her and her husband’s land. She also concerned herself with both the prevention of gender-based violence and mediating the effects, as she placed great importance on advocating for mental health services for survivors of sexual assault and violence.
Mukasa’s career steadily advanced through several meaningful opportunities. She served leadership positions for several NGOs in Africa, including Nordic Consulting Group Uganda, Akina Mama wa Afrika, ActionAid International Uganda and the Open Society Initiative for Eastern Africa. She also provided her insight and expertise for foreign NGOs like the DFID in the UK, USAID, NORAD and the Australian branch of the DFAT. Her tireless work in these organizations contributed to political actions that atoned for violence against women and children as well as political participation. She also worked directly with government programs, helping draft the Domestic Violence Act in Uganda and promoting revisions to the Ugandan and Rwandan constitutions that would address gender issues.
As she progressed, Mukasa gained even more leadership roles; she was a major resource in the early stages of the African Women’s Development Fund, a leader in both the African and Ugandan Feminist Forums, and the head of her own firm, where she employed only women. Perhaps her most notable leadership role was at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), which she joined in 2012. Her work at the ICRW furthered the development of research on violence against children and gender equality through inclusion; soon after her arrival, she became the organization’s Regional Director for Africa and established the regional office in Uganda. With her direction, the ICRW directly advised governments to take a stance against gender-based violence. She also led a program to address this issue, along with issues of inequality around women’s ownership of property and land, in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
There should be no doubt about Mukasa’s devotion to women’s safety and the assurance of their success and equal access to opportunity; this fact has made her a cherished figure internationally and a role model to people of all ages and genders.
Sources
Stella Mukasa by African Feminist Forum
Remembering our Sister Stella Mukasa by the African Women’s Development Fund
