Leah Namugerwa
Who was Leah Namugerwa?
Ugandan climate activist who began striking for climate action at age 15, inspired by Greta Thunberg. She founded the Rise Up Climate Movement and advocates for environmental protection across Africa.
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Leah Namugerwa (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Leah Namugerwa (born 2004) is a Ugandan youth climate activist who has become one of the most recognized voices for environmental action in East Africa. She began her climate activism in February 2019 at the age of 15, when she started supporting school strikes for climate action in Uganda, inspired by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and the global Fridays for Future movement. Working alongside fellow Fridays for Future Uganda organizer Sadrach Nirere, Namugerwa helped bring the international school strike movement to Uganda, drawing attention to the specific environmental challenges facing the African continent.
Before Fame
Namugerwa grew up in Uganda during a period of increasing awareness about the effects of climate change on sub-Saharan Africa, a region particularly vulnerable to droughts, flooding, and deforestation. Raised within the Anglican Church of Uganda and influenced by family members with environmental interests, including her uncle Tim Mugerwa, a prominent environmentalist in Uganda, she developed an early awareness of ecological issues. Her decision to act came after encountering the global media coverage of Greta Thunberg's school strikes in Sweden, which demonstrated to her that young people could draw meaningful attention to climate policy failures.
Key Achievements
- Co-organized school climate strikes in Uganda beginning in February 2019 as part of the Fridays for Future movement
- Founded the Rise Up Climate Movement to broaden environmental advocacy across Africa
- Led tree planting campaigns in Uganda to combat deforestation and land degradation
- Launched a public petition to enforce Uganda's ban on plastic bags
- Represented youth voices as a delegate at COP25 and as a speaker at the 2020 World Urban Forum
Did You Know?
- 01.Namugerwa launched a petition specifically aimed at enforcing Uganda's existing ban on plastic bags, highlighting that having a law on the books does not guarantee its implementation.
- 02.Her uncle, Tim Mugerwa, is a well-known environmentalist in Uganda, suggesting that environmental concern has been a presence in her family life.
- 03.She served as a youth delegate at COP25, the United Nations climate conference held in Madrid in December 2019.
- 04.Namugerwa spoke at the World Urban Forum in 2020, addressing themes of climate and urban development on an international platform.
- 05.She is a member of the Anglican Church of Uganda, one of the largest Christian denominations in the country.