Mercy Grace Munduru currently serves as Head of Programmes and Fundraising at ActionAid International Uganda. She spoke to Esther Oluka on what it takes for women to serve at a senior management level.

When one speaks to Mercy Grace Munduru, it is easy to notice her confidence and eloquence. With her constantly reassuring smile, she speaks about her work with so much ease.
Currently serving as the Head of Programs and Fundraising at ActionAid International Uganda, Munduru during an interview says the role is an empowering one.
“I fi nd the position very encouraging, especially for other women below me, that I am here and looking out for all of us,” she says.

Part of her responsibility includes leading programmes all over the country. With such a duty, she is expected to give her best, including attention and time, lest certain things fall through
the cracks, or setbacks happen that can affect the performance of the organization.
“You hope that you are always giving sound judgment and making comprehensive decisions for the benefit of the workplace,” she says.

Munduru serves in the senior leadership level alongside two other male colleagues and because of this, she has had to constantly prove that she can do the job.
“As a woman in that space, I have had to constantly show that I know what I am doing in my particular field,” she said. “It is that prowess that has led people to respect me.”
When asked about her education journey, Munduru says she completed Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) in Arua Demonstration School, in 1999. She then went to Muni Girls Senior Secondary School, in Arua District, in 2003 where she studied for four years, and then onto Seroma Christian High Mukono, in 2005 where she studied her A Level.

Afterwards, she enrolled for a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at Uganda Christian University (UCU) and a Master of Laws from the same university. Leadership seems to have followed her from when she was a child as she lets us know that while she was in primary school, she served as head girl while in Primary Five and Six after many pupils encouraged her to run for office.
Before serving in her current role, Munduru was a programs manager for democratic governance at ActionAid International Uganda upon joining in 2020. She joined the organization following previous stints in other organizations including the Uganda Association of
Women Lawyers (Fida-Uganda), and Mercy Corps, a global team of humanitarians working together on the front lines of crisis.

What it takes to excel
Excelling in a top management position does not come easy, especially for women leaders. “One thing that I have learned on my way up is that the road is so steep. It is like constantly
navigating through a jungle with so many animals and thorns,” she says. Family and marital obligations, gender bias, lack of mentors, and limited access to senior position opportunities, are part of the reasons
why few women aim for senior management positions.

The 2022 Global Gender Gap Report reveals that Uganda ranks 109th out of 156th countries in terms of gender parity [equality] in top leadership positions. Women, the report states, hold
only 37 percent of senior management positions in the private sector and 36 percent of leadership positions in the public sector. So how are the few female leaders serving at
the top managing to shine in their respective positions?

Utter determination and grit, Munduru says. “People consider things like age, looks, whom you are dating, how you dress. People will put you on a certain pedestal and spin you around. In the end, some
women give up who they are because of constantly putting themselves under pressure to appease society,” she says. To avoid falling into this trap, Munduru says, “one must focus more on their
work,” and if the criticism is directed towards any other things, one should not pay so much attention to it. Just like in other workplaces, sometimes there are tendencies by certain staff to gossip
and make allegations about bosses.

“I have heard things that people have said about me that are shocking,” she says amidst laughter, “You will hear that so and so said this about you, things that are very false.” There always comes a need to want to respond to such allegations.
“Sometimes they say things that are not true and I just ignore them. There are not so many people you can disclose these things to because of your position. You don’t want to show staff
how vulnerable you are, she says.

On occasions she needs to talk to somebody, Munduru says she seeks counsel from peers and trusted family members including her mother. “Good enough, my mum was a leader before retirement, so, when faced with challenges, I confide in her. Her counsel has always been helpful,” she says.

On the aspect of staff fearing to approach bosses, Munduru says it is important for leaders to always find a way of navigating this sphere lest they remain lonely at the top and in
the end, lose their humanness. “People always expect you to behave in a certain manner because you are serving in a senior management position and for this reason, they keep their distance, yet you wish they
would come to talk to you and be free on certain things,” she says, adding, “Or when they eventually interact with you, they say, ‘Yes, boss,’ a title I
distaste. Why not call me by my real name?” To address this, Munduru says she insists that people address her by name and has an open door office policy for staff.

Discrimination

The perceptions surrounding conception, birth, and motherhood can be tricky for most women serving as leaders. An incident in 2022 made Munduru realize that sometimes people can be insensitive to
women in leadership. While at a meeting where she was presenting on a panel, a male employee from another civil society organization expressed his disappointment towards her, as she was expecting, and her baby bump was visible. “Oh, you’re pregnant! Why have you done this to your boss?” she recalls the man telling her.
The man proceeded to mention that pregnancy was the reason why organizations were not hiring many young women into leadership positions. Rather than respond to his insensitive remark, the hurt Munduru chose to let the comment slide.
At the end of the day, Munduru advises, women aspiring to serve in senior leadership positions need to know what they are going in for and then work hard at it. “These positions come with a lot of sacrifice
of your time, friendships, and relationships,” she says.

MERCY MUNDURU’S ADVICE TO GET TO THE TOP

• Invest in getting knowledge in your field. This can be done through reading and researching.
• Be confi dent and show up every day.
• Find mentors to guide you.
• Find suitable confi dantes outside work.