Mathias Kiwanuka made a big impact on the NFL after he was drafted out of Boston College by the Giants on the first round in 2006. He was a key member of the defense that won two Super Bowl titles against the Patriots in 2007 and 2011 seasons. He played nine seasons in New York before retiring in 2015.
The 43-year old Kiwanuka graduated from Boston College with a degree in psychology. He last week was bestowed with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during graduation ceremonies on the Chestnut Hill campus. While Kiwanuka did well as an undergraduate, the honorary degree was for more than his grades in school.
Kiwanuka is a first-generation son of parents who were born in Uganda. They escaped civil strife there and immigrated to this country where they settled in Indianapolis and raised a family of three children, including our brother Mathias.
Kiwanuka has been a passionate advocate for his parents’ birthplace and has dedicated his life to making a difference there. His grandfather was an officer in the Ugandan army during World War 2. He eventually was elected the first prime minister of that African nation. He later was assassinated in defense of upholding the law there in the face of tyranny.
Mathias has followed his grandfather’s legacy as a board member of The Water Trust, which is a nonprofit that empowers rural Ugandan communities to access clean, sustainable water. He also is on the non-profit Smile Train board, which instructs Ugandan physicians on cleft palate care in local communities. He most recently has chosen to use his entrepreneurial skills to promote mental health projects and advance economic development in Uganda and throughout the African continent.
Kiwanuka also has chosen to be involved with overseas football development by assisting Uganda become the sixth African nation to join the NFL Africa Program, which is designed to building a pipeline of promising young athletes to the league.
Mathias currently serves as Vice President of Global Initiatives & Programs for Ultimaxx Health, which is dedicated to solving modern public health problems.
We at NFL Alumni congratulate Mathias Kiwanuka on his honorary degree and salute him for his tremendous non-profit work on behalf of his family’s ancestral home in east-central Africa.
