Mr. And Miss Ability Uganda 2025/2026 Crowned As Five Institutions Honoured For Advancing Disability Inclusion

By Gad Masereka

Uganda’s disability community witnessed a remarkable moment yesterday at the Sheraton Kampala Hotel as organisers officially unveiled and crowned MR. AND MISS ABILITY UGANDA 2025/2026, setting the stage for a year long celebration of talent, resilience and leadership among persons with disabilities.

The ceremony was the first of its kind to combine two major events in a single evening, bringing together the launch of the 2025 pageant and the awarding of five outstanding institutions and individuals whose work has advanced disability inclusion in the country.

Organisers said this year’s edition will run under the theme Wealth Creation Programmes, A Key to Socio Economic Empowerment of Persons with Disability, a message that shaped the evening as participants reflected on ways to strengthen livelihoods and shift the national focus from charity centred interventions to long term economic empowerment grounded in equal opportunity.

The event drew a wide mix of guests ranging from disability rights activists to private sector partners whose backing will shape the programme in the months ahead. Their presence signalled a rising interest in treating disability inclusion as an investment in Uganda’s human capital rather than an act of goodwill. It also provided context for the two part programme that unfolded throughout the evening, with the awards opening the night and the pageant crowning closing it.

Among the groups that were awarded included the National Identification and Registration Authority, recognised as a disability-inclusive employer for taking on more than forty staff living with disabilities, Restless Development, honoured for its governance and advocacy driven by an inclusive policy framework, Bukedde Television presenter Sarah Onigi, who received the media for inclusion award for her consistent coverage of disability issues on the Osobola programme, Footsteps Furniture Uganda, which earned the assistive innovation award for training and recruiting young artisans with disabilities, and Brighter Monday Uganda, which won the entrepreneurship category for expanding opportunities for youth, including those with disabilities.

Patrick Menya, who chaired the awards committee, explained the process behind the selections and encouraged institutions to reflect seriously on the inclusiveness of their own practices.
He said the committee carried out extensive profiling and community level assessments before settling on the five recipients.

Menya reminded the audience that the awards were intended to spark institutional responsibility, not publicity. He posed a question to the room that lingered in the air as he spoke. By this time you should be asking yourself how inclusive am I, and whether your workplace is doing the right thing.

A different tone emerged as attention shifted toward the launch of MR. AND MISS ABILITY UGANDA 2025. The organisers described the pageant as a platform created to elevate ambition and unlock potential for persons with disabilities across the country.

One of the coordinators, Bismac Amumpaire Moses, traced the event’s roots and the efforts taken to revive it after a long break. He described the pageant as an opportunity to showcase ability and creativity.

Bismac also thanked the Ministry of Gender for recognising the initiative as part of the national programme for the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. He said the contestants had completed a week long boot camp designed to build confidence and spark creativity, explaining that the activity brought together young people living with different forms of disability to help them discover their abilities.

Pamela Kabahesi of Brighter Monday Uganda discussed the organisation’s expanded initiative, in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, targeting youth aged 18–35, especially women, displaced persons, and persons with disabilities, offering soft skills, entrepreneurship training, and promoting financial and economic empowerment.

She emphasized that economic empowerment must be central to disability inclusion, noting that financial access plays a crucial role in enabling persons with disabilities to fully participate in society.

The Minister of State for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities, Hon Dominic Mafwabi Gidudu, delivered the keynote address and reminded the audience that inclusion is a continuous journey that requires persistent effort.

He warned against viewing disability interventions as temporary exercises and called for sustained investment in rehabilitation, assistive technology and access to social protection.

The minister noted that over thirteen percent of Ugandans aged two and above live with a disability and appealed for greater coordination among institutions, emphasizing that inclusion is not a one-day event or the work of one person but requires the commitment of everyone.

As the evening drew to a close the atmosphere shifted from policy conversation to celebration. Contestants took to the stage for the final segment of the programme which culminated in the crowning of the new ambassadors. Njuki Simon Peter was named Mr Ability for the 2025 to 2026 period and Queen Agnes was crowned Miss Ability for the same term.

For many in attendance the dual event offered a reminder that visibility, recognition and empowerment are interconnected. The unveiling of the pageant and the awarding of the five institutions formed a single narrative that linked individual achievement with structural change.

Organisers said they will build on the momentum by working with employers, training institutions and the media to ensure that the visibility created last night leads to genuine economic opportunities in the months ahead.

The evening at Sheraton Kampala Hotel left a clear impression that inclusion cannot thrive on good intentions alone. It must be anchored in practical support, accountability and pathways that allow persons with disabilities to participate fully in the country’s social and economic life.

The twin events held yesterday provided a demonstration of how recognition and responsibility can reinforce each other and affirmed that empowerment remains both a right and a collective obligation.