By Reagan Ssempijja
Famed UK-based Ugandan medical practitioner Nancy Kitaka received an exclusive invitation from the Prince and Duchess of Cornwall, to attend the annual Commonwealth Diaspora of United Kingdoms reception.
Held at the Buckingham Palace in England, the prestigious function saw notable celebrities from across the world gracing the palace. Guests included High Commissioners from different countries.
Clad in a blue busuuti, Kitaka represented her Ugandan roots quite well.
As the reception, last weekend, went on, guests were entertained by the Chinese Orchestra String Quartet, which played a diverse collection of classical music from the UK and Europe.
Speaking to New Vision, Kitaka revealed that her experience at such a high-level reception was quite exceptional.
“Nothing short of extraordinary. It is always enlightening to be in the midst of like-minded individuals. To share a table with intellectuals and a roof with royals is undoubtedly fulfilling. But mostly; it is a space where my mind was opened to all sorts of new horizons,” she said.
Kitaka added that she was glad to be invited and recognised by the royal family, and that her impact on people’s lives is worth a nod.
For Ugandans who have not heard about Kitaka or her work before, she is a multi-faceted woman, who has more than once been termed superhuman for her ability to juggle very contrasting work types.
She is a veteran MC, entertainer, who also doubles as general nurse, women’s rights activist, and music talent manager.
Kitaka is the face of Ugandan music shows in the UK, a radio and TV host who occasionally travels to Uganda to host events.
She is also, in the same vein, renowned for championing a number of charitable causes, notable among them having been the ‘Pads For All’ campaign, where she teamed up with musical star Sheebah Karungi, who also runs a sanitary pads business, to donate sanitary pads to Ugandan communities living with HIV&AIDS.
Kitaka intimated that while chit-chatting with high-profile people at the reception, she discussed issues to do with underprivileged girls and women in various Ugandan communities and in the diaspora.
“I’m hopeful that the future is bright for our young girls,” she said.
Kitaka has carved quite the name for herself as an activist of the greater good.
She is renowned by both Ugandans locally and those in the wider diaspora for her broad spectrum of abilities.
To the locals in Uganda, she is known as a beacon of hope for women and young girls alike, courtesy of the numerous feats of philanthropy she has extended to Ugandan communities.
She has been the voice of change for the underprivileged girls in Uganda, as well as individuals living with HIV, by mobilising aid through her awareness and charity campaigns about their plight.
In a story written by New Vision, she was recognised among the top 10 movers and shakers of 2020.
Kitaka is also a director at Relief Care LTD, an organisation that strives to make underprivileged people’s lives better.
For her work, Kitaka has been a winner of the African Women in Europe Humanitarian Achievers Award, and as such, her invite to the Buckingham Palace, therefore, came as no surprise to many.
