Women’s rights activists and gender advocacy organisations have renewed calls for equitable representation in the leadership structures of Uganda’s 12th Parliament, urging political parties to ensure that women are not sidelined during the allocation of influential parliamentary positions.
The appeal comes at a time when attention is shifting from the electoral phase into the internal formation of Parliament’s leadership, including the Speaker’s office support structures, committee chairpersons, commission appointments, and party caucus leadership roles that largely determine legislative influence.
Activists argue that while Uganda has consistently maintained one of the highest levels of female representation in Parliament in Africa—largely through the affirmative action system—women remain underrepresented in strategic decision-making positions that shape national policy.
“Numbers alone are not enough. We need women in positions where decisions are actually made,” said a gender activist linked to a Kampala-based civil society coalition. “The 12th Parliament must correct the long-standing imbalance in leadership allocation.”
Uganda’s Parliament has over the years increased female participation, with women occupying a significant share of seats through district woman representative positions and proportional party representation. However, civil society groups note that committee leadership, budget scrutiny roles, and oversight positions continue to be dominated by male legislators.
According to activists, this imbalance limits the impact of women lawmakers on key national issues such as maternal health funding, gender-based violence response, education equity, and social protection systems.
The Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) and allied organisations are now pushing political parties—including the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), opposition parties, and independent caucuses—to adopt internal guidelines that guarantee women are considered for leadership roles during parliamentary restructuring.
A political analyst based in Kampala said the debate reflects a recurring challenge in Uganda’s governance system. “Uganda has made progress in descriptive representation, but substantive leadership power is still unevenly distributed. The real contest begins after elections, when committees and leadership positions are shared,” he said.
Some legislators have privately acknowledged that party negotiations often determine leadership outcomes more than electoral strength, a process activists argue tends to disadvantage women due to entrenched political networks and patronage systems.
The activists are expected to submit a formal petition to Parliament’s leadership once the House is fully constituted, calling for transparent and gender-responsive criteria in the allocation of committee and commission positions.
As the 12th Parliament takes shape, pressure is mounting on political actors to translate Uganda’s constitutional commitment to equality into meaningful leadership inclusion beyond the ballot box.
