The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | AGNES E NANTABA | Little was known about Dr. Annette Kezaabu not until she was appointed to head a nine member committee ‘Uganda Pornography Control Committee’ in the ministry of Ethics and Integrity. In line with the Anti-Pornography act, the committee’s main role is to curb down the production and consumption of pornography, detect the spread of pornography in its early stages, bring the convicts to face the law and to gather together all porn materials and vandalize them. Kezaabu was initially contacted to serve as a representative for the artistes on the committee given her background in Music Dance and Drama but was later appointed by Fr Simon Lokodo, minister of Ethics and Integrity to head the committee.
Although the appointment received mixed reactions concerning the ability and capacity of the committee to combart such a crime in what appears to be a laissez-faire economy, Kezaabu took on the task with a strong force and is ready to make an impact in that line.
“This is the time I should have influence on my country,” said Kezaabu,
“We started off the work with visits to schools and discovered a lot of pornography in soft and hard formats, held meetings with video halls operators and distributors of films and movies so it’s not a bad start”.
It remains a big task but she maintains that it’s doable and the spirits kept high.
At the time the appointment to head the committee, Kezaabu was still serving as a lecturer at Makerere University in the department of journalism and communication. She resigned the position. She served at the oldest university in the country since 2012 until when she chose to resign the position in April 2015.
Her work life mission has always been serving in a position for a maximum period of three years through which she works to accomplish the set mission.
“Life is a mission and once it is accomplished, don’t delay there,” said Kezaabu.
Days later, Kezaabu was contacted for another mission at Kampala International University at Director Higher Degrees and Research. Three months into the position, she was appointed Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs at the same institution. With a big task ahead including cleaning the system of fake recruits and awards, Kezaabu went in with an open mind only to fulfil the mission within three years.
“The approach really worked and I was able to reorganize everything including missing marks,” she said.
Kezaabu threw in the towel a week ago upon clocking three years at the institution. She prides in building strong teams and cleaning the system. As one who has always worked on a mission, she is ready to take on her next mission as it comes.
She says, “One of the things I am born for is to see a change in mindset from bad to better”.
Often times, Kezaabu has worked in turning points. For instance, she joined Makerere University in 1997 for a diploma in MDD at the time the university was liberalizing to include private sponsored students. Initially, pursuing a diploma seemed more of a mistake in filling the application forms but there was no chance for change of course.
“I eventually fell in love with it and it influenced my later decisions,” she says.
While there, Kezaabu was greatly influenced by Prof Rose Mboowa (RIP) with her way of shaping gender ideology of how women should take up positions and not be down trodden.
As graduation drew closer, Kezaabu took on to the drawing board to redefine her purpose in life. Thoughts of being a news anchor drove her to pursue a degree in Mass Communication at Makerere University in 1999 and graduated in 2003. She briefly worked with the New Vision, Monitor Radio and Radio One before crossing over to the Telecommunications world in UTL.
Two years later, Kezaabu went back to the drawing board and the urge to influence society was reawakened. In 2006, she enrolled for an honors degree in public health promotion via entertainment education before pursuing a master’s degree in health promotion psychology at the University of Kwazulu Natal. In 2012, she took on a PhD in health economics study during the same time which she was approached by Makerere University to join the team in the department of Journalism and Communication.
Kezaabu is the seventh born in a family of 12, born in 1976. She went to Runyinya primary school, Nganwa Boarding Junior Primary School, Mary Hill Mbarara and Bweranyangi Girls’ School.
