Jane Kaberuka

Last updated
Jane Alison Kaberuka
Born (1956-08-28) 28 August 1956 (age 69)
Bunyoro, Uganda
Education Makerere University
La Trobe University
GenreFiction, autobiography
SubjectGender disparities, family
Children4

Jane Alison Kaberuka (born 28 August 1956, Bunyoro) is a Ugandan writer of fiction and autobiography, and also a senior civil servant [1] .

Contents

Career

Kaberuka's education prepared her for science teaching, but in 1987, she was seriously hurt in a car accident. After extensive treatment she was able to walk. This incident and the aftermath led to her autobiographical work Has God forgotten me? The book includes letters she recorded or typed with one finger for her children to read when they were older. [2] [3]

Her next book was It's Natural Darling, a book about womanhood. An author's note comments on the widespread absence of discussion of sex even amongst family members. [4]

Kaberuka decided to request an anti-corruption post in the office of the Inspector General of Government. She also worked as a columnist for a newspaper between 1992 and 1994. [5]

In 1999 she published her novel Silent Patience which begins with an arranged marriage. [6] It raises "questions about some of Uganda's traditional societal values" [5] and looks at “gender discrimination” in 20th century East Africa. This book was published by Femrite, an organisation which encourages Ugandan women writers.

TheCherished Grass Widow came out in 2003. [7] This novel explores difficulties women may face in marriage and challenges the practice of polygamy. [8]

Personal life

Kaberuka was born on 28 August 1956 in Bunyoro, Western Uganda. [9] She went to Kyebambe Girls Secondary School [9] but was delayed for a year in completing high school by difficulties relating to her Rwandan heritage. She eventually went to Gayaza High School. Kaberuka married at the age of nineteen, a decision "not made by herself", and then studied for her science degree at Makerere University. Her studies had to fit around babies and motherhood.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and zoology in 1979, she went to Australia with her husband and was awarded a Bachelor of Education degree in 1982 at La Trobe University. She did some science teaching and started a postgraduate degree at the University of New England. After the change of government in Uganda in 1986, she and her husband returned with their four young children in January 1987. He had been offered a job and she saw him as "head of the family", so did not press to finish her course before leaving Australia.

Within a few weeks, Kaberuka was seriously hurt in a car accident, dislocating her neck and losing sensation in her limbs. She was treated unsuccessfully in Nairobi and then taken to Germany for repeated surgery and prolonged treatment. Eventually, she recovered the ability to walk a little.

Her husband Will Kaberuka is an economist and presidential adviser who also comes from Western Uganda. They have two sons and two daughters. [2] [3]

In August 2024, Kaberuka announced on a YouTube interview the forthcoming publication of her new book, Rebellious Hope: Crushed but Not Broken. This memoir explores her journey of resilience following the 1987 car accident that significantly altered her life. The title suggests a narrative of overcoming adversity, aligning with her previous works that delve into personal and societal challenges. [10]

Bibliography

References

  1. ↑ "Uganda at 56: Writing Independence (1986-1999)". The Writivism Prizes. October 13, 2018. Retrieved August 28, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Kaberuka, Jane Alison (2002). Has God forgotten me?: the cry of an accident victim. Nairobi, Kenya: Uzima Press. ISBN   978-9966-855-12-1. OCLC   50243745.
  3. 1 2 3 Kaberuka, Jane Alison (2002). Has God forgotten me? : the cry of an accident victim ([New ed.] ed.). Nairobi, Kenya: Uzima Press. ISBN   9966-855-12-2. OCLC   50243745.
  4. 1 2 Its Natural Darling. East African Publishers. ISBN   978-9966-46-450-7.
  5. 1 2 "Women's World: Femrite". Archived from the original on 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2016-04-11.
  6. 1 2 Kaberuka, Jane Alison (1999). Silent patience. Kampala, Uganda: Femrite Publications. OCLC   43067844.
  7. 1 2 Kaberuka, Jane Alison (2003). The cherished grass widow. Kampala, Uganda: MK Publishers. ISBN   978-9970-04-092-6. OCLC   54819270.
  8. ↑ Asuman Bisiika, Kaberuka on the evil of polygamy, New Vision, 28 August 2003
  9. 1 2 SouthPlanet
  10. ↑ TFK Luminary (2024-06-19). Introducing a new book: Rebellious Hope by Jane Kaberuka.. Coming Soon . Retrieved 2025-08-28– via YouTube.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.