By Nicholas Akasula
Hawa Mawa wears many hats; mother, wife, philanthropist, farmer and gospel artiste. She is also the director of River Nail Academy in Kayunga, a school that offers free education to orphans and underprivileged children.
Founded in 2018, the academy currently supports about 250 children. But behind her achievements lies a journey shaped by faith, resilience and transformation.
Born into a Muslim family, Hawa says her upbringing was rooted in a polygamous household where she was raised by her father and stepmother.
“In 2002, when I received Christ at around 15 years old, they wanted to marry me off because they thought there would be no school fees,” she recalls.
At the time, she had classmates who were believers and often shared testimonies about how God had worked in their lives.
“They always testified to me about how the Lord came through for them and delivered them. So I decided to test whether their God was practical. Amazingly, I was given a miraculous full bursary at school,” she says.
That experience marked a turning point in her life.
Although she did not proceed to university, she pursued several courses and remained grounded in her Christian faith.
“The experience in Christianity is alive. It is not about cramming things. In Islam, I used to sing in duwas without even understanding what I was singing. But I saw the hand of God. I went through a great series of deliverance for almost two years,” she says.
Cost of choosing a new path
Choosing Christianity was not an easy decision.
Hawa says she could not simply inform her father that she had become born again. Instead, she spent time in prayer, asking for courage and guidance.
“My dad was not a joke. Fortunately, by the time I spoke to him, the Lord had calmed him down. I found favour before him, and all I endured afterwards were insults at home from my siblings,” she says.
Over time, however, things changed. Today, two of her siblings have also embraced Christianity.
Her father passed away while she was in Senior Six, though her biological mother is still alive.
The early struggles, she says, strengthened her conviction and laid the foundation for the life she would later build.
Music, ministry and marriage
Hawa Mawa is known for gospel songs such as Yesu Ye Answer, Atalemwa and Ampade. Yet in the early stages of her music career, she faced pressure to pursue secular music.
“I had record labels, actually some of the biggest ones, that wanted me to sing love songs,” she says.
She later got an opportunity to travel to Kenya, where she was paid to train a choir and worked there for one and a half years.
“I trusted God and He opened an international door. I was signed by a record label while I was in Kenya. That is when I got a turnaround. I recorded Yesu Ye Answer while I was still there,” she says.
When she returned to Uganda, her career continued to grow.
“I held a concert and later went on international tours to South Africa, Nigeria and the United States,” she says.
Her personal life also blossomed alongside her ministry.
Hawa met her husband Godfrey Mawa in 2013. At the time, she was a worship leader at Kansanga Miracle Centre, and he owned an events company that provided equipment for shows and crusades.
She says their relationship began professionally and gradually developed over time.
After working together on several events and church programmes, their friendship deepened. They later got married after a year.
Today, the couple has two children and remains hopeful for twins in the future.
Reflecting on marriage, Hawa says it has been a journey of growth.
“Marriage is not for the young. In fact, it helps you grow up. The first five years are not usually easy because you are learning each other,” she says.
Like ministry, marriage has come with its own challenges, including delays in conceiving their second child.
In ministry, she says, perseverance is essential.
“There are betrayals and many angles through which the enemy tries to sabotage ministry. At times you feel like giving up, but I have seen the hand of God upon my life,” she says.
For Hawa, every chapter of her story points back to one truth, that faith can transform even the most unlikely journey into a testimony.
