Grace Mary Mugasa

Biography

Grace Mary Mugasa was born on 28 December 1968 in Munteme, Hoima District, in western Uganda, to Pascal and Regina Rukanyanga. After completing her O-Level she taught in local schools, then trained women in small-business skills and ran her own enterprise. She later earned diplomas in modern management and sales from the College of Professional Management in the United Kingdom, followed by a Bachelor’s degree in Democracy and Development Studies and a Master’s in Development Studies from Uganda Martyrs University. Additional certificates in local political leadership (Sweden) and gender mainstreaming in local governance (Israel) sharpened her focus on inclusive leadership.

In 2001 she entered elective politics as Woman Councillor for the Northern Ward of Hoima Town Council. She served ten years, chairing the Water Board and handling social services. When the town was upgraded to municipality status in 2010, she contested the mayoral seat against experienced male rivals and won, becoming Hoima’s first female mayor in 2011. Voters returned her in 2016. During her decade in office she earned the nickname “Hoima’s Iron Lady” for her firm insistence on orderly urban growth, clean streets and planned construction. She oversaw the rehabilitation of municipal headquarters and major road works under the World Bank-supported USMID programme. In July 2020 she guided Hoima through its formal elevation to city status, the only oil city in Uganda at the time.

Beyond Uganda she co-founded the Global Parliament of Mayors in 2016 and later served as Second Vice-Chair of its Daily Board. In June 2021 President Yoweri Museveni appointed her State Minister for Public Service. She continues to speak on women’s economic empowerment, mentoring female leaders and the need for both women and men to advance together.

Historical Context

At the turn of the millennium, local government in Uganda remained heavily male-dominated. Few women held executive positions in municipalities, and secondary cities like Hoima faced rapid growth driven by oil discoveries with little planning capacity. Grace Mary Mugasa’s election as the first female mayor of Hoima in 2011 occurred against that backdrop. Her subsequent leadership coincided with Uganda’s decision to create fifteen new cities, placing her at the practical centre of one of the country’s most significant urban transitions.

What She Fought For

She has consistently argued that women must occupy decision-making spaces and that economic empowerment without family stability is incomplete. As mayor she refused to accept disorderly growth, insisting on clean public spaces and proper building standards. Through the Global Parliament of Mayors she amplified the voice of secondary African cities on the world stage. In her ministerial role she continues to urge women to move from subsistence into commercial enterprise while reminding communities that the boy child must not be left behind.

Major Achievements

• First woman elected Mayor of Hoima Municipality (2011–2021) and the leader who steered its transition to full city status in 2020.
• Co-founder of the Global Parliament of Mayors (2016) and later Second Vice-Chair of its Daily Board; now an Honorary Member.
• Oversaw major infrastructure upgrades in Hoima under the USMID programme, including municipal headquarters and key roads.
• Appointed State Minister for Public Service in 2021, one of the few women from western Uganda to hold a national cabinet portfolio at that time.
• Long-standing advocate and trainer of women entrepreneurs and local female leaders.

Her Impact Today

Grace Mary Mugasa remains an active public figure who links grassroots urban governance with national policy and international city networks. Her journey from classroom teacher and small-business trainer to the first woman to lead an oil city demonstrates that local barrier-breaking can open larger doors. Young women in secondary cities across East Africa now have a concrete example of what steady, principled local leadership can achieve.

Sources: Official biography at gracemarymugasa.com, Wikipedia (Grace Mary Mugasa), Global Parliament of Mayors records, Monitor Uganda reporting, Flash Uganda Media, Cities Alliance, and contemporary news coverage of Hoima’s city transition.