How Uganda’s ‘Wonder Gal’ Fatuma Nabuulime subverted the political economy of disability

What the report says

Fatuma Nabuulime, widely known online as “Wonder Gal,” graduated from Makerere University in Kampala during the university’s 76th graduation ceremony, receiving a Bachelor of Social Work and Social Administration. The Independent Uganda said the moment drew strong applause because her path to graduation reflected years of overcoming disability, poverty and exclusion rather than a routine academic milestone.

According to the report, Nabuulime was born without upper and lower limbs in Kisekka Village, Lwengo District, and grew up in difficult circumstances after her father left the household. The article says she later became a victim of forced begging in Kampala before civil society workers from US2UG4LYF rescued her and helped her enter school. It describes how she adapted to education by learning to write with her mouth and feet, while also facing inaccessible facilities and social stigma.

The story also traces how she built a public profile on social media, using TikTok and other platforms to show everyday tasks and challenge pity-based views of disability. The Independent Uganda says her online following grew to more than 810,000 and that she used that visibility to support vulnerable families in Kampala through food, medical and sanitation assistance. Her graduation is presented as both a personal achievement and a reminder of wider gaps in disability access, welfare and protection in Uganda.