reports and statistics which show that although the situation of women ahs improved of the past years, women are still being discriminated in more ways than one. In any sector you lock at, women still earn a small percentage of aggregate income compared to men, women occupy lower ranking job positions compared to men, women do most of the housekeeping work, as well as engage in invisible labour (biological and domestic chores which are not paid for). The number of women in governance structures where decisions are made is also still low (see table 2)

Table2: Historical analysis of men and women in decision making positions in Uganda

The report also notes that most political parties fell shot on meeting the “women’s agenda” based on the minimum demands of women to political parties following nationwide consultations inn 2005 and 2006. These included real and meaningful democracy (with women’s participation guaranteed); good governance, integrity and transparency of leadership organs; affirmative action for women and other vulnerable groups; more attention to health and reproductive rights; law, order and access to justice by women and poor people; economic empowerment of women; observance of fundamental rights of women; commitment to education of women; promoting women’s bodily integrity; commitment to international obligations that guarantee human rights; peace, security and conflict resolution; people centered development; sustainable environmental management and equitable resource allocation.

Ingrid Turinawe of FDC. She heads the party's WOmen's League

The study does however note that the move to multiparty politics has expanded the spectrum of participation and brought to a number of women in the ruling party as well as the opposition. These include Betty Kamya, the President of the Uganda Federal Alliance, Miria Kalule Obote (former presidential candidate UPC), Ho. Rebecca Kadaga as NRM Vice President Eastern, and later elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Kabakumba Matsiko, the Minister for Information and National Guidance, Hon. Dorothy Hyuha as Deputy Secretary General of the NRM, Ms. Salaamu Musumba as FDC’s Vice President and Hon. Alice Alalso as FDC’s Secretary general. The report notes that in the process of constituting the Cabinet and shadow cabinet, there was notable effort to specifically include women (although there are fewer women in the present cabinet than the previous).

“From previous reviews undertaken on the subject as well as from interviews of female respondents for this analysis, there was a sense that parties were now struggling to capture the support of women, although they were yet to sufficiently reflect gender concerns in their polices, structures and programmes,” the report notes.

The analysis calls for efforts to ensure that women occupy substantive positions like Chairperson, Presidents, Secretary Generals, Publicity and Finance within their political parties. It also calls upon women to lobby their parties to support women’s property ownership, especially co-owning land with their spouses.

The researchers are also of a view that resources, especially finance be committed on gender mainstreaming activities within political parties, and especially to finance women candidates standing on district basis, because they have a bigger constituency. The report also wants women to lobby their political parties to ensure poverty reduction programmes like Bonabagawale target and benefit women.

Strategies that allow more systematic engagement of political parties with civil society organizations are also needed to ensure women’s issues are kept on the agenda of political parties, the report says. The analysis report also calls upon political parties in Uganda to have clear conceptual and ideological clarity on mandates, internal democratic procedures as well as equal and full participation of women and men within their structures and programmes. “Political parties need a minimum healthy standard for mainstreaming men and women’s issues and concerns in their agendas, as well as political will and commitment to see these obligations fulfilled,” the report says.

The study highlights the need to strengthen a women’s movement that will be able to organize, debate and push for political issues and concerns of women as a single constituency serving women’s interests. It also calls upon women at all levels to join political parties and participate actively in the activities of the political parties in order to influence the party’s policies, programmes and structures to be gender friendly.

An amendment of the Political parties and Other Organisations Act to mandate all parties to reserve at least 30percent of their positions at all structures to women is also recommended, with a view that no party should be funded by the state until it fulfills this affirmative action requirement for women.

The study also recommends capacity building for men and women in political parties to understand and appreciate gender issues and concerns; continuous engagement of political parties to engender their policies and structures; and support for political parties to carry out outreach activities and mobilization to be able to tap more women.

The analysis will also no doubt be useful for women within the various political parties on the advocacy issues they should engage within their political parties so as to ensure compliance and fulfillment of their party promises on gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment.

By Ultimate Media

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