Winifred Byanyima (born 13 January 1959[citation needed]), is a Ugandan aeronautical engineer, politician, human rights activist, feminist and diplomat.

[3] Byanyima was born in Mbarara District in the Western Region of Uganda, a British protectorate at the time.

Museveni, Byanyima, and her husband Kizza Besigye were combatants in the National Resistance Army (NRA) during that war.

Both Byanyima and her husband have since fallen out with President Museveni because of his repressive undemocratic rule despite his earlier stated convictions.

She served in that capacity until she was appointed director of the Gender Team in the Bureau for Development Policy at UNDP in November 2006.

[16] In addition to her role at UNAIDS, Byanyima also serves a two-year term as a member of the World Bank Group’s (WBG) Advisory Council on Gender and Development.

[17] Since 2022, she has been a member of the Commission for Universal Health convened by Chatham House and co-chaired by Helen Clark and Jakaya Kikwete.