{{short description|Ugandan politician}} {{use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox person | name = Abed Bwanika | image = Bwanika Abed.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|08|01|df=yes}} | birth_place = Masaka District, Uganda Protectorate {{small|(now Lwengo District, Uganda)}} | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = '''Makerere University'''<br/>{{small|(Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine)<br/>(Master of Veterinary Science)}} | occupation = Veterinarian, politician, religious leader | years_active = 1987–present | citizenship = Uganda | title = President<br />People's Development Party/DP Block | spouse = Gladys Namusuwe<ref name="Family" /> }}
'''Abed Bwanika''' (born 1 August 1967) is a Ugandan veterinarian, politician, and pastor. He is the President of the '''People's Development Party''', an opposition political party in Uganda. He is currently a Member of Parliament for Kimanya-Kabonera constituency under the NUP, the youngest political party led Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.<ref>{{cite web | title=Get Out of Kampala, Bwanika Tells Opposition | url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Get-out-of-Kampala--Bwanika-tells-Opposition/-/688334/2670172/-/o462eiz/-/index.html | last=Mukombozi | first=Rajab | date=30 March 2015 | accessdate=30 March 2015 | newspaper=Daily Monitor (Kampala)}}</ref>
==Early life and education== Bwanika was born on 1 August 1967 in modern-day Lwengo District.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate=30 March 2015 | date=20 March 2014 | url=https://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=61913 | last=Bindhe | title=Dr. Abed Bwanika Among Evicted Lwengo Wetland Encroachers | first=Edward | publisher=Uganda Radio Network (URN)}}</ref> He attended Kimwanyi Primary School, near his parents' home in said area. Later, he studied at Masaka Secondary School for his 'O' level, and at Kigezi High School for his 'A' level. He was admitted to Makerere University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Later, he earned a Master of Science degree in the same field, also from Makerere.<ref name="Background">{{cite web | date=30 September 2013 | url=http://news.ugo.co.ug/abed-bwanika-i-was-called-to-do-big-things-in-life | title=Abed Bwanika: I Was Called To Do Big Things In Life | accessdate=30 March 2015 | publisher=Ugo.co.ug | first=Anita | last=Ashaba }}{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Career== Following his first degree, he stayed on at Makerere as a graduate tutor, while he conducted research and pursued a second degree.<ref name="Background" /> In 2001, he left teaching and a private veterinary consultancy. He also opened a church, Christian Witness Church.<ref name="Left" />
During the 1996 presidential elections, he supported Yoweri Museveni but switched allegiance to Kizza Besigye in 2001. He ran as an independent candidate in the February 2006 presidential election,<ref name="Left">{{cite web | publisher=BBC News | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4719944.stm | title=Uganda's Other Presidential Hopefuls | date=17 February 2006 | access-date=30 March 2015}}</ref> where he finished in fourth place, with 0.95 percent of the vote (65,874 total votes).<ref name="EC" />
He again contested the February 2011 presidential elections as the candidate of the People's Development Party, which he founded; he is also the party's president.<ref>{{cite web | accessdate=30 March 2015 | url=http://africanelections.org/new_news.php?nid=72 | date=30 November 2010 | title=Eight Candidates to Contest Uganda 2011 Elections | publisher=Africanelections.org Quoting Uganda Electoral Commission | archive-date=2 April 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124917/http://africanelections.org/new_news.php?nid=72 | url-status=dead }}</ref> The second-time around, he received about 14,000 fewer votes (51,708 total votes), garnering 0.65 percent of the popular vote.<ref name="EC">{{cite web | publisher=Uganda Electoral Commission | url=http://www.ec.or.ug | title=Ugandan Presidential Election, 2011 | accessdate=30 March 2015 | date=March 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505203624/http://www.ec.or.ug/ | archive-date=5 May 2016 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
In August 2020 he left the People's Development Party to join the National Unity Platform.<ref>{{cite news|author=Javira Ssebwami | title=Crossing the Red Line! 'President' Bwanika defects to NUP from his own party | newspaper=PML Daily | date=13 August 2020 | url=https://www.pmldaily.com/news/politics/2020/08/crossing-the-red-line-president-bwanika-defects-to-nup-from-his-own-party.html | access-date=21 February 2021}}</ref> In the 2021 general election he was elected to Parliament to represent the Kimanya-Kabonera constituency in Masaka City.<ref>{{cite news | title=Editorial: Uganda should focus on the day after tomorrow | date=19 January 2021 | newspaper=The East African | url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/oped/editorial/editorial-uganda-should-focus-on-the-day-after-tomorrow-3261560 | access-date=21 February 2021 | archive-date=13 March 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313023454/https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/oped/editorial/editorial-uganda-should-focus-on-the-day-after-tomorrow-3261560 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Personal life== Bwanika is married to Gladys Namusuwe, a fish biologist and lecturer in the Department of Zoology at Makerere University. They have been married since 1995 and are the parents of four sons: Wise, Decent, Chosen, and Delight.<ref name="Family">{{cite web|title=Abed Bwanika And Gladys Namusuwe of PDP |accessdate=30 March 2015 |url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/9/500/736451 |date=29 October 2010 |newspaper=New Vision (Kampala) |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113429/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/9/500/736451 |archivedate=2 April 2015 }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{succession box|title=President of the People's Development Party|| before=None|after=Incumbent|years=2010–present}} {{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bwanika, Abed}} Category:1967 births Category:Ganda people Category:Living people Category:Makerere University alumni Category:People from Lwengo District Category:Ugandan veterinarians Category:Academic staff of Makerere University Category:Politicians from Central Region, Uganda Category:Members of the 11th Parliament of Uganda