UCU IT alum breaks glass ceiling in cyber security

By Patty Huston-Holm

In the early morning hours of Monday, March 9, 2026, Catherine Bwire was addressing a cyber attempt on a bank system – a real-life lesson that in the high-stakes world of digital finance, the battle for data integrity never sleeps. 

 “My team and I contained and resolved the issue,” she said the following day. 

Immediate curtailment of cyber assaults is critical, according to Bwire, the Chief Information Security Officer at Ecobank Uganda, a banking group operating in 35 sub-Saharan countries. The reality of today’s efforts to breach, damage or disrupt computer systems and networks requires constant vigilance along with diligence for clean, reliable backups. She lamented that attempts to steal, alter or destroy data are more common everywhere, including and especially with Artificial Intelligence(AI)-enabled adversaries. 

One of many sources verifying the concern about unauthorized information access is a July 2024 report, “Elevating Africa’s Cyber Resilience,” compiled by Cisco, the University of Pretoria (South Africa) Centre for Human Rights and the United Kingdom-based Access public policy consultancy.  While admitting that this research omits smaller businesses, the 25-page document addresses hacking-attempt increases up 23% from 2022 to 2023, the monetary cost of cybercrime, the particular vulnerability of financial service entities and the need for more highly trained security personnel. 

If all people were honest and ethical – principles Bwire grew up with among strong Catholic parents and were reinforced during her undergraduate years at Uganda Christian University (UCU) – the need for more talented people in cyber security would not be as dire.  Such is not the case. 

For the past several years, ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce studies have indicated global shortages in cybersecurity personnel. The World Economic Forum and Help Net Security estimate that Africa has up to 25,000 certified professionals, based on 2024-2025 data. While IT cybersecurity workers are needed, there is a greater alarm about talent – namely skill deficiencies among those professionals.

At that, Bwire, age 39, feels that certifications, including the seven listed on her resume, are less an indicator of knowledge and skill than real-time, problem-solving combined with strategic awareness. With more than 15 years of cyber security experience, she emphasized that her understanding and familiarity with issues and how risk flows through an organization are what sets her apart as a leader in the field. 

“These days, I’m rarely off the clock,” she said of her EcoBank role that has her connected virtually wherever she is. “Earlier, there were times when I had to leave to breastfeed a baby and then rush back to work.”

Bwire is driven, in part, because she senses a higher bar for women than men in information technology careers. Globally, including in Africa, there is a cyber security profession gender gap with overwhelming favor for men. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates only nine percent of Africa’s cybersecurity personnel are female.

“There are not more than 10 of us,” Bwire said of her female counterparts in Uganda’s financial sector. “We know each other.”

In a male-dominated career path, Bwire finds many are still surprised to learn that a woman is in charge of cyber security.  While not resting on any laurels, she knows that her voice is increasingly being heard. One example is that in February, her name was among Africa’s 2026 Top 100 Information Security Professional Award nominees. 

“Will I be chosen as the top?” she rhetorically asked of the designation that is slated for April 28. “It doesn’t matter.  Getting nominated is an honor.”

The annual award celebrates IT leaders who move beyond routine operational duties to make lasting contributions to the profession through strategic thinking, mentorship, influence and measurable results.

Bwire’s journey to cyber security can be traced back to her father, Bwire John, who has been a lecturer and worked in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) positions, exposing the daughter to IT concepts and programming when he enrolled in a data communication master’s program. The oldest of five children reared in Kampala, Catherine Bwire was the first to study at a university, starting in law courses at UCU in 2005 but switching to IT after one week. 

Her research before graduating with first-class honors in 2008 involved developing a stand-alone Java application simulating DNA pairing.

“IT skills are transferable,” she said, alluding to how she used her computer programming skills to support a professor’s health informatics research on genetic molecules and now applies them in cyber security. In Bwire’s undergraduate days, programming was the focus. 

Before accepting the job at EcoBank in late 2023, she had a similar role at Housing Finance Bank Uganda.  Before that, she worked at Absa Bank. In 2024, she acquired a Master of Business Administration from a university in Zambia. 

While her father was her first inspiration, he wasn’t the last.  She credits a friend and mentor, Moses Abili, for her movement into the IT specialty of protecting systems, networks, programs and data. Now, she, too, is a mentor to students and shares her knowledge through professional development initiatives at UCU. 

Professionally, she aspires to get her PhD and do more teaching. In her personal life, she hopes to grow her family; she has two children. 

“Yesterday, it was all about having a laptop,” she reflected from her office in Kampala. “Today, cybersecurity and robotics are dominant fields intersecting with such topics as ransomware and AI. You have to keep your eyes open and keep learning.” 

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