Hon. Beatrice Anywar Atim

Background and Education

Beatrice Atim Anywar was born on 9 January 1964 in Kitgum District, located in the Acholi sub-region of Northern Uganda. She pursued her early education in Uganda, culminating in an Advanced Diploma in Marketing from Makerere University Business School in 1991. She furthered her studies with a Bachelor of Public Administration from the Islamic University in Uganda in 2004, and later obtained a Master of Public Administration and Management from Makerere University. Additionally, she earned a Certificate in Democracy and Good Governance from Marquette University in the United States.

Professional Career

Anywar’s professional journey began in the private sector. From 1991 to 1993, she served as the Depot Manager at UFEL Uganda. She then worked as a Senior Marketing Officer at Vitafoam Uganda Limited between 1994 and 1995. Subsequently, she joined the National Water and Sewerage Corporation, where she worked in the commercial customer care office from 1996 to 2004.

Political Career

Beatrice Anywar entered Ugandan politics in 2006, contesting for the Kitgum Municipality parliamentary seat under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party. She won the election and was appointed as the shadow minister for the environment during her first term in Parliament, owing to her environmental activism.

She gained national prominence for her role in the “Save Mabira Forest” campaign in 2007, opposing the government’s plan to allocate part of the forest to the Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) for sugarcane cultivation. Her activism earned her the nickname “Mama Mabira.”

In the 2016 parliamentary elections, after losing the FDC primaries, Anywar ran as an independent candidate and retained her seat. She later aligned with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party. On 14 December 2019, she was appointed as the Minister of State for Environment in the Ugandan Cabinet.

Environmental Advocacy

As Minister of State for Environment, Anywar has been a vocal advocate for environmental conservation. She has called for stronger measures to combat climate change and has emphasized the need for global cooperation on climate-induced human mobility.

In her capacity, she has also addressed issues related to industrialization and its impact on the environment, urging for the adoption of clean technologies and sustainable practices.