Cleopatra Kambugu Kentaro is a Ugandan transgender woman and human rights activist, advocating for equality and social justice with particular focus on sex workers and gender non-conforming communities.

We don’t talk about sex in Africa, so breaking down the stigma of being lesbian, gay or bisexual is tough.

[8] In addition, Kentaro works as a program officer with the Trans Support Initiative Uganda (TSIU), an organization that fights for social justice for transgender, intersex, and gender non-conforming citizens.

[3] Kentaro earned a Masters of Science in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity.

One week later, Kentaro was publicly outed as transgender in 2013 on the cover of Uganda's biggest tabloid, Red Pepper.

[10] In The Pearl of Africa, Kentaro undertakes "an intimate journey beyond binary restrictions to discover her identity", a process she noted as difficult against African norms of masculinity.

[10] The series inspired an Indiegogo campaign that successfully raised more than $10,000 for gender reassignment surgery in Thailand.