In 1983, the NRA women’s wing was formed with Nalweyiso as the first commandant while in the bush, and on capture of power, she was given the rank of Captain and deployed as the Commandant of the Women’s Wing proper.
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In our inaugural article, we bring you an outstanding female military authority in the history of Uganda, and it is none other than the Special Presidential Advisor on Military and Security Matters LT. GEN. PROSCOVIA GRACE NALWEYISO, the first and so far, only female army officer to rise to such a rank in the history of Uganda and Africa’s subsequent armies.
Gen. Nalweyiso Imparts Skills in School Dropouts, Holds 4th Graduation
Born in June 1954 at Gombe (which is a component of the famous Luwero Triangle war zone), in a family of 20 children, the former junior teacher and copy typist at a church in Gombe, present day Wakiso district, and a key figure in the 1981 – 1986 protracted guerrilla war started by Yoweri Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) in the jungles of the famous Luwero Triangle, Nalweyiso has risen through army ranks to her retirement rank (she retired from active combat in 2022) of Lieutenant General.
In an interview with Kyaggwe TV on 22nd October 2025 at her home at Ntaawo Cell, Ntaawo ward in the Central Division of Mukono Municipality, the seemingly satisfied former guerrilla war fighter said her retirement does not mean she has put aside national security duties per se. “On retirement, the Commander in-chief allowed me to move out with my SMG (Sub Machine Gun) and if recalled in case of an emergency, I simply pick it and swing into action”, Nalweyiso who is clocking 72 years next June explained.
She joined the Democratic Party (DP) and in 1980 was named the sub-county publicity secretary. In the 1980 elections, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) under Milton Obote as President and Paulo Muwanga his vice, rigged the elections which drove Museveni to declare a guerrilla war to remove the vote rigging regime.
Prior to joining the NRA in 1982 somewhere in Ngoma in (Nakaseke district), Nalweyiso served as an activist of the then Secret Resistance Committees, which metamorphosed into the Resistance Committees (RCs), up to present-day Local Councils).
Explaining the reason for continual change of names of the committees, she said initially they were secret because there was fear of UPC functionaries who were all out to antagonize any form of organized group suspected to be opposed to their government, and notable among these were UPC chairmen and youth wingers right from grassroots.
She said the committees acquired their present name when the need for resistance was replaced by the need to engage locals more actively in a peaceful atmosphere, to foster development.
In 1983, the NRA women’s wing was formed with Nalweyiso as the first commandant while in the bush, and on capture of power, she was given the rank of Captain and deployed as the Commandant of the Women’s Wing proper.
In a short period, she was promoted to the rank of Major, and Lieutenant-Colonel by the end of 2000. In 2017, Nalweyiso was promoted to Major-General, and later to Lt-Gen; For over 15 years she has been stationed at State House as Senior Presidential Advisor on Defence issues.
On return to civilian life, Nalweyiso decided to emulate President Museveni by starting up a skilling project where school drop outs are trained in activities like tailoring, and given startup capital and sewing machines to get into income generating activities to reduce of over dependence on their spouses.
In our next episode we shall delve further into the tit bits of her involvement in the war, her efforts at attracting other women to embrace the idea of fighting the dictatorship. Watch out for more.