Anne Kansiime

EARLY LIFE

Anne Kansiime Kubiryaba was born on 13 April 1986 in Mparo, in present-day Rukiga District, in the Western Region of Uganda. Her father was a retired banker, and her mother was a housewife. Kansiime attended Kabale Primary School, Bweranyangi Girls' Senior Secondary School for her O-Level and A-Level education. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Makerere University.

CAREER

Beginning in 2007, while still an undergraduate at Makerere University, Kansiime began to participate in drama skits acted by the theatre group Theatre Factory, and later Fun Factory. Her skits were broadcast on NTV Uganda. She partnered with Brian Mulondo in the MiniBuzz series. Anne started posting her sketch comedy skits on YouTube, receiving positive feedback. Her screen breakthrough came when Citizen TV from neighboring Kenya offered her a slot to produce, star and present a comedy show once a week, leading to the 'Don't Mess With Kansiime' comedy show. As of November 2014, her YouTube channel had amassed more than 15 million views. She has appeared on BBC Focus on Africa and played to packed houses in various international cities.

PERSONAL LIFE

Kansiime's comedy style tends to focus on aspects of her personal life. She was married to Gerald Ojok from 2013 to 2017. They had no children from the marriage. She has a partner, Skylanta, and one child. Anne Kansiime runs a charity organisation, The Kansiime Foundation, which supports needy but bright children by keeping them in school. She also runs Kansiime Backpackers, a leisure business located on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi in Kabale District, Uganda.