Sarah Achieng Opendi

{{Infobox person

| name = Sarah Achieng Opendi

| image = Achieng Sarah Opendi.jpg

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1968|09|06}}

| birth_place = Tororo, Uganda

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = National College of Business Studies
{{small|(Diploma in Accounting)}}
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
{{small|(Associate Chartered Certified Accountant Level II)}}
Makerere University
{{small|(Bachelor of Business Administration)}}
{{small|(Master of Business Administration)}}

| occupation = Accountant and politician

| years_active = 1988 – present

| nationality = Ugandan

| citizenship = Uganda

| known_for = Politics

| networth =

| title = State Minister of Mineral Development

| spouse =

}}

Sarah Achieng Opendi, sometimes Sarah Opendi Achieng, is a Ugandan accountant and politician. She is the State Minister of Mineral Development in the Ugandan cabinet, serving since 14 December 2019.{{cite web|url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Museveni-shuffles-Cabinet-drops-Muloni-Nadduli-Ssekandi/688334-5386130-139sq4lz/index.html |title=Museveni Shuffles Cabinet, Drops Muloni, Appoints Magyezi |newspaper=Daily Monitor |date=14 December 2019 |access-date=30 January 2020 |author=Monitor Reporter |place=Kampala}}

Before that, from 6 June 2016 until 14 December 2019, she served as the State Minister of Health for General Duties.{{cite web |date=6 June 2016 |

newspaper=Daily Monitor | title=Museveni's new cabinet list At 6 June 2016 |author=Uganda State House |location=Kampala |

url=https://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/First-lady-named-Education-minister/688334-3235186-c2c27sz/index.html}} Prior to that, from 15 August 2012 until 6 June 2016, she served as the Minister of State for Primary Healthcare.{{cite web |date=15 August 2012 |place=Kampala |url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634161-president-yoweri-museveni-reshuffles-cabinet.html |title=President Yoweri Museveni Reshuffles Cabinet |access-date=9 March 2015 |author=New Vision |newspaper=New Vision |archive-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402121843/http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/634161-president-yoweri-museveni-reshuffles-cabinet.html |url-status=dead }} Prior to that, from 27 May 2011 until 15 August 2012, she served as the State Minister for Lands.{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150208384704078&comments |title=Comprehensive List of New Cabinet Appointments & Dropped Ministers |date=27 May 2011 |

access-date=10 March 2015 |author=Uganda State House|publisher=Facebook.com}} In the cabinet reshuffle of 1 March 2015, she retained her cabinet post.{{cite web| title=Full Cabinet List As At 1 March 2015 |last=Uganda State House |date=1 March 2015 |access-date=9 March 2015| newspaper=Daily Monitor |location=Kampala |

url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/blob/view/-/2639388/data/956667/-/oq6gpdz/-/cabinet.pdf}}

Background and education

She was born in Tororo District on 26 September 1968. She studied accounting, graduating from the National College of Business Studies, in 1994, with the Diploma in Accounting.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} In 1998, she successfully passed the examinations of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, leading to award of the title of Associate Chartered Certified Accountant Level II. That same year, she graduated from Makerere University with the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration. In 2005, she received the degree of Master of Business Administration, also from Makerere.{{Cite web|title=Current Students|url=https://www.mak.ac.ug/current-students|access-date=2022-02-15|website=Makerere University|language=en}}

Career

Her professional career began in 1994 as an Accounts Assistant at Uganda Consolidated Proportions Limited, a subsidiary of the government-owned Uganda Development Corporation (UDC). In 1996, she was promoted to Accountant, at the same company, serving in that capacity until 1998. From 1998 until 2000, she served as the Deputy Speaker of Tororo District Council. She also served as an Inspectorate Officer in the office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG), from 1999 until 2003. From 2003 to 2004, she was promoted to Senior Inspectorate Officer, in the IGG's office. From 2004 until 2006, she was promoted to Principal Inspectorate Officer in the office of the IGG. During the same timeframe, she served as the Deputy Project Coordinator of the DANIDA Anti-Corruption Project. From 2006 until 2007, she served as the Accountant of the Acholi Bursary Program, a project of the Royal Netherlands Embassy. From 2009 until 2010, she served as the finance manager at Windle Trust Uganda, an NGO. In 2011, she successfully contested the parliamentary seat of Women's Representative for Tororo District under the National Resistance Movement political party ticket. She was appointed Minister of State for Lands, serving in that position from 2011 until 2012.{{cite web| title=Minister Achieng petition on | url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/688334-1209160-a75g5az/index.html | accessdate=1 November 2016 | date=28 July 2011 | author=John Augustine | newspaper=Daily Monitor | location=Kampala}} In a cabinet reshuffle on 15 August 2012, Opendi was appointed Minister of State for Primary Healthcare.

2016 political season

Sarah Achieng Opendi was the elected Member of Parliament for Tororo District Women's Representative until 2016. During the primaries of the ruling National Resistance Movement political party, in October 2015, Opendi lost 42,718 vs 44,444 to Jacinta Ayo.{{cite web|location=Kampala | url=http://www.elections.co.ug/new-vision/election/1407446/minister-opendi-suffers-defeat-tororo|last=Odeke |title=Minister Opendi suffers defeat in Tororo | first=Faustine | accessdate=1 November 2016 | date=28 October 2016| newspaper=New Vision}}

During the general elections of February 2016, she ran as an Independent.{{cite web|url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Minister-Opendi-to-stand-as-Independent/688334-2933636-p5jkyu/index.html | title=Minister Opendi to stand as Independent | date=29 October 2015 | accessdate=1 November 2016 |newspaper=Daily Monitor | first=Joseph|

location=Kampala | last=Omollo}} She was declared the winner with 61,800 votes vs 59,790 votes received by Jacinta Ayo.{{cite web| url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1417654/minister-opendi-omala-clash-tallying-center | title=Minister Opendi, Omala clash at tallying center | first=Faustine | last=Odeke | date=20 February 2016|

newspaper=New Vision |location=Kampala |accessdate=1 November 2016}}

Ayo went to court and was able to prove that the returning officers altered the vote tally sheets at more than one polling station. In total, she was able to prove that a total of 1,765 votes had been taken away from her. The correct final tally, according to the evidence was Ayo 61,276 vs Opendi 60,772. The High Court sitting at Mbale on 28 July 2016, ordered that Opendi be kicked out of Parliament and that fresh elections be held.{{cite web|accessdate=1 November 2016| url=http://www.observer.ug/news-headlines/45594-court-orders-minister-opendi-out-of-parliament | title=Court orders minister Opendi out of Parliament |date=28 July 2016 | newspaper=The Observer (Uganda) Quoting Uganda Radio Network (URN) | author=URN |location=Kampala}}

Other considerations

Sarah Achieng Opendi is single.{{cite web| first=Pius|last=Opae Papa|url=http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29796:dont-get-men-for-me-minister&catid=34:news&Itemid=114|title=Don't Get Men For Me – Minister| accessdate=9 March 2015 | date=24 January 2014| newspaper=The Observer (Uganda)}}