By Patty Huston-Holm
At age nine, a little girl in Uganda’s eastern village of Busia told her father she wanted to be a priest like him. Three years later, she was “saved” – rescued from sin and forgiven through faith in Jesus. In her 20s, she began her formal theological career climb.
Today, The Very Rev. Venerable Canon Dr. Rebecca Margaret Nyegenye Ajambo is 56 and the highest-ranking female and the first woman provost, often also called dean, within the Anglican Church of Uganda (CoU).
“I’m still learning,” she said from her office in All-Saints Cathedral, Kampala.
She proceeded to explain how and where she gets and uses her knowledge, beginning with this preface: “I can never talk without talking about my father. His love for God laid a very serious foundation for me to love ministry and work in it. He instilled core values, including honesty, obedience and transparency.”
Rebecca and Wilson Nyegenye with their children (left to right, rear) – Winfred Sarah Kwagala, a law magistrate; Dr. Ronald Peter Mukisa, who works in Kenya; and Pricilla Barbra Mirembe, a law advocate
In addition to applying what she learned at the knee of her father, James Efumbi, who died in 2017, she absorbs knowledge from multiple sources – priests, teachers and seemingly average people.
Rev. Nyegenye has a Bachelor of Divinity from Uganda Christian University (UCU), a Master of Arts in Theology from Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (Ambridge, Pa.) and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. She is working on another master’s degree, this one in public administration. Other current professional development includes curriculum created by American pastor, John Maxwell, and evangelist education through Soul–winning And Leadership Training (SALT).
Bishop Henry Luke Orombi, former Archbishop of Uganda and Bishop of Kampala, is among her mentors. Likewise, she finds individuals without elevated titles are vessels for teaching and learning.
“Each step I take is a climbing stone,” Rev. Nyegenye said. “Every person, every moment is an opportunity to grow and give.”
Among those stones were being a lecturer, female warden and chaplain at UCU in Mukono; and in Busia, Vicar at St. John’s Church of Uganda and pastor for Mukono Parents Secondary School and Dabani Girls Secondary School.
In her current position, she works 10 hours a day, six days a week. This day, Feb. 10, 2026, is her 36th wedding anniversary.
Her husband, Wilson, is a laboratory technologist and procurement specialist with Uganda’s Ministry of Health. She was not sure if they would celebrate this day, a Tuesday, or another day.
Mondays, which are her usual days off, generally find her without her clerical collar, working in the garden and spending extra time with family, especially her mother, Janet, who is recovering from a stroke. The Nyegenyes have three children: Ronald Peter Mukisa, a medical doctor working with Christian Surgeons in Nairobi, Kenya; and Winfred Sarah Kwagala and Pricilla Barbra Mirembe, lawyers who work in Kampala, Uganda.
Rev. Nyegenye’s work calendar these days includes meetings with up to 40 staff members in a half dozen departments and consultation with contractors to complete a multi-million-dollar building project at All-Saints. The $7.6 million (about sh27 billion) Cathedral construction began in 2010 – eight years before Rev. Nyegenye accepted her current post. With a completion goal in 2026, the focus is on exterior waterproofing, aluminum framing and interior finishing. Two lifts are being installed in the bell tower to connect the basement parking to the main sanctuary.
“I’m like a CEO some days,” she said, smiling. “I balance that with my pastoral duties.”
Rev. Nyegenye is not preoccupied with the enormity of her status, but is aware of the gender barrier she has broken and how her role can open doors for other women.
“I know there was initial resistance to my appointment due to stereotypes,” she said of the position she has held since 2019. “There was skepticism about whether a woman could really lead in this role.”
Rev. Nyegenye did not doubt her ability to multi-task the secular and religious tasks of her position at All-Saints’ Cathedral. With the added advantage of being the daughter of a pastor, she has been watching women, including her mother who managed a household with seven children, for her entire life.
With awareness that her position was previously male-dominated and that views on women’s leadership in the church vary based on individual scriptural interpretation and cultural practices, she knew that failure was not an option.
“I knew I had to work hard, to multi-task and handle crises to overcome doubts about female leadership,” she said. “Hard work, prayer and obedience are essential in this position.”
Rev. Nyegenye’s work diligence and study of the Bible never ceases. Relying on various versions of the Old and New Testament, she pointed to Jeremiah and Deuteronomy to understand biblical themes of idolatry and disobedience. But it is prayer that is most important, she said.
The Very Rev. Venerable Canon Dr. Rebecca Margaret Nyegenye Ajambo speaking at All Saints’ Cathedral.
“Prayer isn’t just a personal spiritual practice but an integral leadership tool that guides decisions, sustains me and connects me to a broader community,” she said. “I have a support system that includes bishops, family and friends.”
Rev. Nyegenye’s career success is credited for inspiring other dioceses to appoint female deans, namely in Busoga and Masindi-Kitara in eastern and mid-western Uganda, respectively. The Very Rev. Canon Dr. Joy Mukisa Isabirye was installed as the first female dean of Busoga Diocese on April 13, 2025.
The Church of Uganda (CoU) has increasingly supported women in leadership, stopping short of endorsement of women as bishops in this country with majority conservative patriarchal views. Rev. Nyegenye, who is the key senior leader in her diocese without the governing authority of a bishop, echoes Archbishop Dr. Stephen Kaziimba’s stance that there are no “canonical, doctrinal or practical” barriers for a female to be a bishop.
“Women can do the job,” she said. She refrained from saying being a bishop is a personal aspiration, adding, “I am always open to God’s direction.”
At this point, however, she sees her next path pointing to research publishing, likely through Langham Publishers in the United Kingdom, “so my insights are shared more broadly for pastors, leaders and others.”
When thinking about that 12-year-old self who became saved, Rev. Nyegenye calls up Galatians 2:20 that states: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So, I live in this earthly body by trusting in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
No turning back.
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