Hellen Auma Wandera is the youngest Member of Parliament (MP) in the 11 Parliament in Uganda.
The 23 year-old legislator recently took oath of office as the Woman MP representing Busia District.
Hellen Wandera was born on December 12, 1997 and at just 23-years-old, she is now the Busia Woman MP who also subscribes to the NRM party.
She defeated the influential opposition candidate, Sharon Nabwire to become a lawmaker in the Eastern African country’s legislature.
Hellen Auma Wandera was born in Busia District. She went to St. Peters Naalya (Spena International) for her high school education.
She enrolled at Kyambogo University in 2016, where she graduated with a Bachelors’ Degree in Arts and Social Science in 2019.
Reports say she was a student-entrepreneur who sold fish on campus to her friends. She also plied her trade in the Banda market while at Kyambogo University to finance her education.
She is affiliated to the National Resistance Movement (NRM). She defeated Nina Nekesa, Fiona Nakku, Nabwire Sharon Veron Namumayi, Esther Busingye Wafula, Grace Nyakecho, Teddy Auma and Lilian Taaka in the 2020 NRM Parliamentary Primaries.
She replaced Jane Nabulindo Kwoba as the Woman Member of Parliament for Busia District in Uganda’s 2021 general election.
She won the parliamentary seat under the governing National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Busia District, eastern Uganda.
It is reported that Wandera’s parents went through a lot of trouble to put food on the table and take care of their needs, but she refused to give up on her dreams.
The young woman resorted to plowing people’s gardens to earn extra cash to help pay her school fees as the fish business was not fetching enough income.
She abandoned her fish vending job and went back to Busia where she hails from and started campaigning to represent her people.
She told Daily Monitor that her decision to join politics was a result of a divine dream she had been experiencing while in school.
The young lady started door-to-door campaigns with the help of boda-boda riders and managed to win the primaries of the National Resistance Movement.
After her victory, Wandera who could not hide her joy said the journey wasn’t easy.
“After I was declared winner, Sharon Nabwire (her closest competitor) said it was a mistake and demanded a recount which I still won,” she said.