Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng
Paediatrician and Minister
1968 – present
A paediatrician from Oyam who led Uganda's Ministry of Health from June 2016 and, according to Wikipedia, was elected Woman MP for Lira City in January 2026.
Photo: Ssemmanda will, via Wikimedia Commons. CC0 (public domain dedication). Photo page and licence
Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng was born on 11 May 1968 in Atapara village, Oyam District, and grew up partly in Lira. She went to Shimoni Demonstration Primary School and Nabisunsa Girls’ School in Kampala. At Makerere University she earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, a Master of Medicine in Paediatrics and a Master of Public Health, and she holds a diploma in health systems management from the Galilee International Management Institute in Israel.
From Lira hospital to the Ministry
- After her internship she asked to be posted to Lira Regional Referral Hospital, where the young doctors were nicknamed “Otin” (“young”) doctors.
- She became executive director of Lira Regional Referral Hospital and then Director General of Medical Services (June 2011 – June 2016).
- On 6 June 2016 she was appointed Minister of Health, a post she held through the COVID-19 years.
- Wikipedia reports that she was elected Woman Member of Parliament for Lira City in the January 2026 elections and was then given a different ministry (Information, Communications Technology and National Guidance).
Political posts change after every election, so check the Parliament of Uganda website for the current position.
Read and watch more
- Wikipedia Jane Aceng · Wikipedia
- Profile Biography: a look at Uganda’s Health Minister, Ruth Aceng · PML Daily
- Profile Dr Jane Ruth Aceng, member profile · Women in Global Health
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