Janet Nsibirwa Mdoe

Profile of Janet Nsibirwa Mdoe: A Legacy of Education and Public Service

Janet Nsibirwa Mdoe was a formidable and visionary figure in Ugandan education, whose life was marked by a deep commitment to teaching, family heritage and a pioneering spirit. Born into a prominent family, she was the daughter of Katikkiro Martin Luther Nsibirwa, one of the most respected Prime Ministers of the Buganda Kingdom. Janet had a distinguished career, teaching at Mengo Preparatory School and the Lubiri where the current Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Mutebi II, was one of her pupils. She later served as the headmistress of Matale Girls' Boarding School. Beyond her teaching and administrative roles, she was recognized as one of Uganda's oldest children's authors.

The crowning achievement of her long career was the co-founding of Greenhill Academy in Kibuli, Kampala, alongside her younger sister, Gladys Nsibirwa Wambuzi. The establishment of the school was the realization of a lifelong ambition shared by the two sisters to significantly impact the quality of education in Uganda. Despite being 72 years old when the school officially opened in February 1994, Janet Mdoe demonstrated immense dedication; she famously sat on a mat at the undeveloped site, waiting for the first parents to register their children. She, along with her sister, her daughter Joy Maraka (who became the school's Rector), and Emma Lugujjo, formed the core group known as the "Big Four" who successfully launched and grew the institution into a prominent educational center.

Janet was married to Miki Mdoe who she met while he was a Sociology student at Makerere College (now Makerere University). Upon marrying him, she relocated to his home country, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), where she continued her vocation as an educator, teaching in several schools. Miki Mdoe himself was a notable public servant, becoming the Director of the Tanganyika Broadcasting Corporation (TBC). He is remembered for his principled stand during the 1964 army mutiny when he reportedly refused to broadcast a government statement requesting British intervention.