Uganda today joins the rest of the world to celebrate the International Women’s Day. The national celebrations which will be held at the Kololo ceremonial grounds will be officiated by President Yoweri Museveni. This year’s celebrations will be held under the theme: Gender Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow.
The chairperson NRM women’s league and a member of the Central Executive Committee, Hon. Lydia Wanyoto Mutende said the theme aptly captures the significance of gender equality and the importance of bridging the gap between gender parity.
One area where Uganda has had an impressive record is women empowerment. From having the second female vice president, Hon. Jesica Alupo to having the female Prime Minister, Hon. Robinnah Nabanja, there is a sense that the Ugandan woman is scaling the heights.
Affirmative action
The NRM government policy of affirmative action for women has elevated women into many positions of leadership as decision and policy makers, in ministries, parliament, and other government departments. It is also evident that in the last 36 years of NRM rule, organizations have recognized the additional value women bring to boards.
Beyond the corporate landscape, female inclusion in leadership has yielded proven benefits in the academia, politics, entertainment and sports and lately faith based communities.
Studies have showed that over the years, while men still dominate decision-making in national affairs, there has been an increase in the number of women as well. Uganda is already progressively promoting gender equity with affirmative action in legislative representation in parliament and change is being achieved this way. It is observed that the participation of women in Parliament has risen to 33.8% and the representation in Cabinet is fairly high. For instance, about 43% per cent of the ministries are led by women, a sign that there is progress and plenty of space for women to emerge in leadership. And the participation of women in local councils has increased from 9.4% ten years ago to 46% today.