Women activists in Uganda have today expressed concern that women members of Parliament are not pushing for interested of women in the country legislature.
Regina Bafaki
The Executive Director of Action for Development, Regina Bafaki says they are concerned that most women MPs pay more attention to issues of their respective political parties instead of giving attention to issues affecting women in Uganda.
In the spirit of affirmative action, the 1995 Uganda constitution requires all districts to elect a woman as the district woman MP. The district woman MP is elected by adult suffrage though they are expected to help give a voice to women in Uganda by highlighting issues affecting women in Uganda.
Bafaki however says reviews of the performance of women MPs have shown that the female legislatures in Uganda have paid little attention to issues affecting or advancing women.
She says the women MPs are not necessarily to blame, but majorly Uganda’s change in political system from the no party movement system to the multiparty political system in 2005 that necessitates elected officials to stand on a political party ticket and respect the aspirations and rules of their party.
Bafaki says there is also no social contract between the women MPs and the women of Uganda for whom they represent. She says due to this situation, ACFODE will carry out training seminars for women legislators on giving more attention to women’s issues.
She says the NGO will also undertake community mobilization campaigns in different parts of Uganda to empower women in Uganda to demand their women MPs to prioritize women’s issues.
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