Matembe’s happy at writing books

Getting to Miria Matembe is quite tricky because she has a queue of appointments listed out in the day. I finally catch up with her at Mackinnon Suites, where she meets people for her other business. Just after 20 minutes, someone comes in to see her but she requests him to wait for the next 15 minutes.
“What do you want to know about me?” She retorts in a very intimidating way.
“I want to know what you are doing with yourself in retirement,” I respond. She quickly replies, “I am out of informal employment and I don’t know what you will get out of me.”

Routine
She says, “I wake up daily at 6am for a daily prayer. At 7:15am, take a walk in the neighbourhood if it isn’t raining and there is no scheduled breakfast meeting to attend. Most of the breakfast meetings are associated with human rights and gender related issues to which I am an activist for.”
“Between 8:30 to 9am, I read the Bible or a Christian book and have breakfast in the next half an hour. I rarely have lunch since I have breakfast late and there are more bites or fruits to pounce on at leisure.”

Matembe’s hobbies
In her free time, she spends most times reading skills development, Christian, political empowerment books. These include Joyce Meyer books, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Walking with the Women of the Bible by Elizabeth George, Power of the Other by Henry Cloud and Tribal Leadership among others.

Writing is her other hobby and she has published her own books that include: Gender, politics and constitution making in Uganda (2002), Woman in the Eyes of God: Reclaiming a lost identity (2009), and Political Evangelism: the beauty of conversing with God (2017). Endowed with a wide scope of knowledge, she is occasionally called upon to mentor young women by Centre for Women in Governance and Youth. She also acts as an inspirational speaker on family integrity, issues and values.

Other engagements
“Apart from some days, I also do marriage counselling for couples at no cost on arranged appointments as God’s work to reaching his people. Also the media normally hunts me down for comments on topical issues; do radio talk shows on invite.”
Besides reading the Bible, she does Bible study with colleagues on Thursdays at midday and home cell fellowship on Wednesday at All Saints church later in evening. I have prioritised my life on God first, self and family. This has not prevented her from preaching when there is an opportunity for Mother’s Union and celebration of Mary Magdalene day. In the evenings around 3pm, she goes swimming at Chillies in Luzira and does exercises at Silk and Slender twice a week. She also detoxes the body by going for a sauna and massage at a renowned place in Luzira.

Business
Also she offers an opportunity in terms of trainings to people to join World Venture Dream trips business, a network marketing travel venture at Mackinnon suites in Nakasero. “I want to help many youth who have worked so many years without finding fulfilment in whatever they do. I interest them with an idea for them to earn from it and live a fun fulfilled without going back to a vicious cycle of poverty,” Matembe says. On weekends, she is normally invited to attend an introduction or wedding ceremony depending on the proximity of the relationship with the invitee. Also since most of the working class of people have some free time in the weekends, there is world venture training at Mackinnon suites. More often her children come around with their families and have a lovely time together. “I also live room to relax, rest and meditate on God’s goodness.”

Who is Matembe?
Miria Rukoza Koburunga Matembe, was born on August 28 in 1953. Matembe has been a strong proponent for and an advocate of women’s rights in Uganda. For over two decades beginning in 1989, she was a member of Uganda’s Parliament. She worked in the Ugandan government as minister for ethics and integrity from 1998 to 2003, after which time she became a member of the Pan-African Parliament representing Uganda.
In 1995, she was a member of the Constitutional Commission that created the Ugandan Constitution.

She was the former chairperson of Action for Development, Uganda’s leading women’s advocacy organisation, an organisation she co-founded.
In 1990, she was the deputy general of the Pan-African Congress held in Kampala. She has been a lecturer on Law and English at the Chartered Institute of Bankers, also in Kampala.
A lawyer by profession, Matembe is also the author of several books including Miria Matembe: Gender, Politics, and Constitution Making in Uganda, on women in politics. She is married to Nekemia Matembe and they have four sons.