Harunah Damba is a pioneering force and the Chairperson of United Persons with Disabilities (UPDS). With an illustrious career spanning health, advocacy, and community engagement, he oversees the administrative and financial aspects of the organization’s projects. He supervises staff, engages in strategic planning and partnership building, and provides leadership to guide development and decision-making within the organization.

Beyond this, Harunah extends his expertise as a board member and advisor to disabled people’s organizations and non-governmental entities. His strategic counsel guides initiatives like the Central Uganda Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Network, Youth with Physical Disability Development Forum, and U.S Disability Inclusion Alumni Network towards holistic and inclusive programming.

In recognition of his exemplary leadership and dedication to giving back to the community, Harunah has been honored with the prestigious Professional Fellows Program Alumni Impact Award, as well as sponsorship to attend summits, conferences, and workshops internationally.

He has participated in the Fall 2022 Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Civic Engagement, and Mastercard Foundation Next Generation Leaders program, both located in the U.S.; USAID’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI RLC EA) in Nairobi, Kenya; the One Young World Summit in Belfast, UK; and the UNLEASH Innovation Lab for SDGs in Kigali, Rwanda.

Harunah earned a Bachelor of Biomedical Laboratory Technology from Makerere University, where he served as a Guild Minister and Guild Representative Councilor (GRC) in the 84th Makerere University Student Government. He remains deeply rooted in community service, volunteering as a biomedical scientist and serving as an executive member of the U.S. Exchanges Alumni Council of Uganda.