By Willy Byarabaha
The current Masaka City Woman MP and State Minister for Local Government, Hon. Justine Nameere Nsubuga, is one passionate national servant who should have been into the above positions from about 15 years ago.
My first interaction with Justine Nameere was when she had started doing Life Stories on NTV Uganda in 2012 when I did an interview with her back then for The Red Pepper. How she came with that idea was mesmerizing and it produced many other similar programs from different Media houses.
Her Life Stories idea was an award winning one that changed lives of many individuals positively.
During the interaction, you would see that Justine Nameere has an interest of serving the public especially people at the grassroots level.
When Hon. Justine Nameere Nsubuga joined politics in 2015, it was not a surprise as her interest are naturally to serve the common person and it is through leadership that a change is availed to serve.
Through out her career even before politics, Justine Nameere has been a woman with a golden heart for the people, the country and for the world.
Her quest to become an MP was not for selfish reasons or to enrich herself like many do but to serve the public as she saw the service delivery was wanting and there were many gaps in there.
Hon. Justine Nameere Nsubuga should have been a Minister from around 15 years ago. She is truly a definition of how a leader should be.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni made no mistake in glueing to her and to make sure he appointed her a minister. She is a fighter, a true servant and a corrupt free leader.
Who is Justine Nameere Nsubuga?
Justine Nameere (born 17 April 1989) is a former Ugandan television host, lawyer, and politician who serves as the Minister of State for Local Government in the Uganda Cabinet. She was appointed to that position on 26 May 2026, replacing Victoria Rusoke Businge. She is the elected Woman Member of Parliament for Masaka City under the National Resistance Movement.
Early life and education
Nameere, who hails from Masaka, is the daughter of former Minister of Defence and Veteran affairs Hon. Vincent Ssempijja, born on 17 April 1989. Her mother Jennifer Birabwa died when Nameere was 12 years old.
She completed her primary education at Namugongo Boarding and continued to King’s College Budo, where she was a member of the drama club and school band. She graduated with a first-class honours in a diploma in law from the Law Development Centre. She has a certificate in Business Administration from Makerere University Business School, and a certificate in Counselling and guidance from Kampala International University. She also undertook a bachelor’s degree in Law from Makerere University.
Career
Nameere began her media career at NTV Uganda, hosting the show Life Stories, which premiered on March 26, 2012. The programme, featuring interviews with individuals sharing unique and emotional experiences, won Television Programme of the Year at the 2012 Edutainment Africa Awards. She later moved to Urban TV, where she presented the Sunday evening show Life and People. Less than a year later, Nameere transitioned to Bukedde TV, a Luganda-language station, co-hosting the program Minibuzz with Dickson Zzizinga for about three months. She resigned because she was pregnant and her health was not good. In 2018, she joined Salt TV as host of Omunnyo Ku Makya.
She started an NGO in 2012, called Voice of the Pearl Foundation, which attended to people with severe health problems. She worked as a court clerk at Lukaya Magistrate Court in Masaka in 2011. She was a radio presenter with Best FM in Masaka, hosting the youth show on positive living in 2009.
She entered politics in 2015, taking part in the National Resistance Movement (NRM) primaries and winning the position of vice chairperson of the NRM Youth League in Kalungu District. She announced her intention to run for Youth Member of Parliament for the Central Region for the 2016–2021 term, but withdrew from the race for undisclosed reasons. Subsequently, she contested the MP seat for Bukoto East constituency but was defeated by Florence Namayanja.
In the 2026 general elections, Nameere was declared the Masaka City Woman MP-elect after a contentious vote recount presided over by Chief Magistrate Abert Asiimwe, which overturned the earlier declaration of Rose Nalubowa of the opposition National Unity Platform as the winner by the electoral commission.
Hon. Justine Nameere is inspired by Rebecca Kadaga and Christiane Amanpour of CNN. She likes documentaries and emotional television shows.
God’s timing is the best, this is the time for Nameere to shine!!!
