Mary Babirye Kabanda

Mary Babirye Kabanda (born 23 November 1971) is a Ugandan politician, and teacher. She was born in Masaka and is currently a member of the 10th parliament as the Masaka district MP. Mary Babirye Kabanda is married.

Background and education In her early life, Kabanda went to St Joseph Bikira Girls school in 1985 for her Primary Living Exams, St Edward SS Bukuumi for her Uganda Certificate of Education in 1989, St Aloysius SS Bwanda for her Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education in 1992, Makerere University for her bachelor's degree in Economics in 1995, postgraduate Degree in Education 1996 and Uganda Martyrs University for her Advanced Diploma in Advanced Education Management in 2001, Bachelor's degree in Microfinance and Community Development in 2010 and Master's degree in Arts in Local Governance and Human Rights in 2016.

Parliament and elections Kabanda won the Masaka District Woman Member of Parliament seat in the 2016 general election. In July 2016, the High Court in Masaka dismissed an election petition challenging her victory, after the petitioner alleged voter bribery and falsification of results; Uganda Radio Network reported that the court dismissed the petition for lack of evidence and published vote totals cited in the judgement (Kabanda 51,938; Freda Nanziri Kase Mubanda 34,119; Rukiya Nakigudde 3,878).

Party roles Kabanda has served as the national treasurer of the Democratic Party (DP).

Education advocacy and philanthropy Daily Monitor profiled Kabanda in 2022 for education-related support schemes linked to her schools, reporting support to vulnerable learners and sponsorship for students in tertiary institutions. Makerere University News has also referred to her as supporting disadvantaged students through an NGO initiative.

Uganda Radio Network reported her public comments in March 2023, in her capacity as an education stakeholder and school director, calling for government support and instructional materials to help private schools implement Uganda’s new secondary curriculum.