Gertrude Kulany

Gertrude Kulany (23 November 1951 – 28 January 2021) was a Ugandan legislator, politician, and anti-female genital mutilation activist. Kulany served in the Constituent Assembly in 1994, and later represented Kapchorwa District as a Woman Member of Parliament between 2001 and 2006 in Uganda's seventh parliament.

Background and education Kulany was born to David and Joyce Arapta.

She attended Mount Saint Marys College Namagunga for her secondary education, and then Makerere University for her tertiary education. During Uganda's 1994 Ugandan Constituent Assembly election, Kulany was elected as the delegate to represent Kapchorwa district and served in this position until 1995.

Activism Kulany campaigned against Female Genital Mutilation. She opposed the practice prevalent among Sabiny and Pokot communities in Eastern Uganda and submitted evidence in significant legal petitions seeking to outlaw it. Her contributions included firsthand testimony for the Law and Advocacy for Women in Uganda v.Attorney General case, which argued that FGM violated constitutional rights.

During her time in Parliament, she supported efforts to draft legislation criminalizing female circumcision pushing for accountability for both practitioners and promoters of the ritual.

In media interviews and international reports, Kulany discussed the cultural pressures and social challenges faced by women resisting FGM emphasizing education and community sensitization as key tools for change.

Administration Kulany was the deputy board chairperson of the National Enterprise Corporation (NEC) (2014–2015). At the time of her death, she was 69 years old and had been treated in hospitals in Kampala, airobi and India for her illness.