2011: A bitter-sweet year for the Ugandan woman
The year 2011 was a mixed bag for women. It is during this year that great achievements were arrived at while at the same time, debilitating challenges stood in the way for the advancement of the mothers of the nation.
This is the year that Uganda scored highly on the international scene when Justice Julia Ssebutinde, the calm yet firm former Uganda High Court judge was elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It was a tight race that pitted her against highly experienced ICJ judge from Sierra Leone, Abdul Koroma. Sebutinde becomes the third woman elected to the ICJ and the first African woman to assume this position.
Nationally, women continued to assume influential positions in cabinet, parliament and at different levels of leadership. It was this year that Uganda got its first female speaker of parliament.
Rebecca Kadaga, also the Kamuli woman MP beat opposition’s Nandala Mafabi to the helm of Uganda’s legislative body. Since her election, the outspoken lawyer has held the parliamentary bull by the horns so far steering the August house into fiery debates. Kadaga’s election seemed not to have gone down well with some legislators; indeed the press has reported unconfirmed attempts to bring her down.
The Uganda Women Parliamentarians Association and the Uganda Women’s Network came out to rally behind her one of their own and to call for support for Uganda’s most high ranking woman politician.
Speaking politics, this year recorded an increase in number of women ministers appointed to cabinet from 16 last year to 22.
This was a cause for celebration for a people that had only two cabinet representatives over a decade ago. But with the celebrations also came questions of whether the increased number of women ministers will have an impact on women at the grassroots. Such women have been worst affected as this year saw some of the most needless deaths of women in labour because of absence of facilities and attendants in hospitals.
In one of the reported cases, Celia Nambozo, a teacher at Busamaga Primary school in Mbale district bled to death at Mbale Hospital. She was left unattended for long hours after allegedly failing to raise sh 300,000 required by medical officers to attend to her. Nambozo’s case highlighted the plight of thousands of women who due to inadequate facilities in hospitals often pay with their own lives during child birth.
This case sparked a controversy and inspired a Police investigation into neglect of duty by medical officers on duty at the hospital.
In a country where 16 women die every day in childbirth, maternal health remained a huge challenge to Uganda’s healthcare system. According to the United Nations Population Fund, Uganda loses about $112m (sh275b) annually due to inadequate investment in maternal health and family planning.
The international body says this country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world standing at 435 deaths per 100,000 live births. It will take more than sh24b dedicated to improving maternal and reproductive healthcare in the national budget to improve the situation.
Despite such challenges, women continued to make their presence felt and to articulate their stand on key issues in the country. As the opposition-orchestrated walk-to-work protests raged in the city and its suburbs, Over 100 women marched in Kampala to protest police brutality that marred the protests.
The energetic women, drawn from different civil society organisations went through the suburbs of Kampala to the clanging sounds of domestic utensils and wielding placards with messages against the perpetrators of the violence. Messages like “Stop shooting our babies”, “Fuel Prices must go down” filled the air as women led the peaceful demonstration.
These were followed by a statement calling for proper investigations into the violence. “We as Women in Civil Society are hereby convening to register our condemnation on the use of excessive force by the Police and other security agencies and subsequent escalating violence and to call upon the State to take critical measures to address the key issues/ concerns raised by the public so as to avert a national crisis” read the statement in part.
It was handed over to Margaret Sekagya the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights defenders. Women were not spared the wrath of the violence. Indeed Brenda Nalwendo, an expectant young other was shot in the stomach as he tried to flee the chaos in Kajjansi. She spent several months in hospital and with assistance from various sections of society had a safe delivery.
It was not all violence. There were a number of firsts not least of which was Jennifer Musisi’s appointment as first Executive Director for the newly created Kampala City Authority (KCCA). Several women made a mark in sports: Susan Muwonge (the first woman national rally champion), Flavia Namakula-(Uganda Ladies Amateur Golf champion), Annet Negesa (Gold medalist in the 800m race at the All Africa Games in Maputo), Showbiz- Judith Babirye and Iryn Namubiru won several music awards among so many accolades that went out this year to hard-working Ugandan women.
It was a roller-coaster of a year for women but one in which much was achieved in the face of enormous challenges.
Domestic violence continued to bite
The year still recorded terrible incidences of domestic violence. Deus Twinamasiko, a UPDF soldier cut off his girlfriend Pamela Asiimwe’s hands in Ntungamo.
This followed a row between the couple. Twenty six-year-old Asiimwe was a teacher in Ntungamo and an IT graduate from Mbarara University. Nusura Nyaburu from Tororo had her nose cut off by her husband.
By September, 475 cases of domestic violence had been recorded by Police.
To address such cases women activists later last year challenged the Parliament to expedite the passing of key pending gender legislations into law to address inequalities and domestic violence inflicted on women.
Addressing the media before the 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence, the women expressed concern over increasing violence against women. The activists said the passing of the Marriage and Divorce Bill and the Sexual Offences Bill would improve the worsening situation.
Women parliamentarians also joined civil society organisations to participate in week-long activities to call for action against domestic violence in Kasese district. The activities were part of a UN Security Council Resolution 1325 against gender violence.
In another show of solidarity, several women joined the rest of the world to mark 16 days of activism against violence, held from November 25 to December 10.
The days are recognised as a period in which activists identify strategies to raise awareness on the elimination of violence against women.
The Uganda campaign was organised by Action for Development, a local women’s rights organisation. As part of activities to mark the days, youth distributed educational materials bearing information on gender-based violence and how it can be prevented. Wearing skates, the youngsters positioned themselves along the five roundabouts of Wandegeya, Spear Motors (Nakawa), Bwaise, Nateete and Clock Tower in Kampala with placards calling for action against violence.
High prices hit women hard
As the harsh economic times raged, women were particularly affected.
As a social group, women still occupy the largest statistic of poor people hence affected more by inflation,” says Solome Nakaweesi, a women rights activist.
She argues that the fact that women still play roles in the domestic domain like childcare, they were affected adversely by rising fuel and sugar prices.
How does a woman manage feed a child when a kilo of sugar on average was at sh5,000?,”
The power cuts, says Nakaweesi affected women more adversely as women occupy the biggest number of active informal sector workers, factory and lower echelons who are at a threat of losing business or being sacked due to foreclosures.
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
This is the year that Uganda scored highly on the international scene when Justice Julia Ssebutinde, the calm yet firm former Uganda High Court judge was elected to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). It was a tight race that pitted her against highly experienced ICJ judge from Sierra Leone, Abdul Koroma. Sebutinde becomes the third woman elected to the ICJ and the first African woman to assume this position.
Nationally, women continued to assume influential positions in cabinet, parliament and at different levels of leadership. It was this year that Uganda got its first female speaker of parliament.
Rebecca Kadaga, also the Kamuli woman MP beat opposition’s Nandala Mafabi to the helm of Uganda’s legislative body. Since her election, the outspoken lawyer has held the parliamentary bull by the horns so far steering the August house into fiery debates. Kadaga’s election seemed not to have gone down well with some legislators; indeed the press has reported unconfirmed attempts to bring her down.
The Uganda Women Parliamentarians Association and the Uganda Women’s Network came out to rally behind her one of their own and to call for support for Uganda’s most high ranking woman politician.
Speaking politics, this year recorded an increase in number of women ministers appointed to cabinet from 16 last year to 22.
This was a cause for celebration for a people that had only two cabinet representatives over a decade ago. But with the celebrations also came questions of whether the increased number of women ministers will have an impact on women at the grassroots. Such women have been worst affected as this year saw some of the most needless deaths of women in labour because of absence of facilities and attendants in hospitals.
In one of the reported cases, Celia Nambozo, a teacher at Busamaga Primary school in Mbale district bled to death at Mbale Hospital. She was left unattended for long hours after allegedly failing to raise sh 300,000 required by medical officers to attend to her. Nambozo’s case highlighted the plight of thousands of women who due to inadequate facilities in hospitals often pay with their own lives during child birth.
This case sparked a controversy and inspired a Police investigation into neglect of duty by medical officers on duty at the hospital.
In a country where 16 women die every day in childbirth, maternal health remained a huge challenge to Uganda’s healthcare system. According to the United Nations Population Fund, Uganda loses about $112m (sh275b) annually due to inadequate investment in maternal health and family planning.
The international body says this country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world standing at 435 deaths per 100,000 live births. It will take more than sh24b dedicated to improving maternal and reproductive healthcare in the national budget to improve the situation.
Despite such challenges, women continued to make their presence felt and to articulate their stand on key issues in the country. As the opposition-orchestrated walk-to-work protests raged in the city and its suburbs, Over 100 women marched in Kampala to protest police brutality that marred the protests.
The energetic women, drawn from different civil society organisations went through the suburbs of Kampala to the clanging sounds of domestic utensils and wielding placards with messages against the perpetrators of the violence. Messages like “Stop shooting our babies”, “Fuel Prices must go down” filled the air as women led the peaceful demonstration.
These were followed by a statement calling for proper investigations into the violence. “We as Women in Civil Society are hereby convening to register our condemnation on the use of excessive force by the Police and other security agencies and subsequent escalating violence and to call upon the State to take critical measures to address the key issues/ concerns raised by the public so as to avert a national crisis” read the statement in part.
It was handed over to Margaret Sekagya the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights defenders. Women were not spared the wrath of the violence. Indeed Brenda Nalwendo, an expectant young other was shot in the stomach as he tried to flee the chaos in Kajjansi. She spent several months in hospital and with assistance from various sections of society had a safe delivery.
It was not all violence. There were a number of firsts not least of which was Jennifer Musisi’s appointment as first Executive Director for the newly created Kampala City Authority (KCCA). Several women made a mark in sports: Susan Muwonge (the first woman national rally champion), Flavia Namakula-(Uganda Ladies Amateur Golf champion), Annet Negesa (Gold medalist in the 800m race at the All Africa Games in Maputo), Showbiz- Judith Babirye and Iryn Namubiru won several music awards among so many accolades that went out this year to hard-working Ugandan women.
It was a roller-coaster of a year for women but one in which much was achieved in the face of enormous challenges.
Domestic violence continued to bite
The year still recorded terrible incidences of domestic violence. Deus Twinamasiko, a UPDF soldier cut off his girlfriend Pamela Asiimwe’s hands in Ntungamo.
This followed a row between the couple. Twenty six-year-old Asiimwe was a teacher in Ntungamo and an IT graduate from Mbarara University. Nusura Nyaburu from Tororo had her nose cut off by her husband.
By September, 475 cases of domestic violence had been recorded by Police.
To address such cases women activists later last year challenged the Parliament to expedite the passing of key pending gender legislations into law to address inequalities and domestic violence inflicted on women.
Addressing the media before the 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence, the women expressed concern over increasing violence against women. The activists said the passing of the Marriage and Divorce Bill and the Sexual Offences Bill would improve the worsening situation.
Women parliamentarians also joined civil society organisations to participate in week-long activities to call for action against domestic violence in Kasese district. The activities were part of a UN Security Council Resolution 1325 against gender violence.
In another show of solidarity, several women joined the rest of the world to mark 16 days of activism against violence, held from November 25 to December 10.
The days are recognised as a period in which activists identify strategies to raise awareness on the elimination of violence against women.
The Uganda campaign was organised by Action for Development, a local women’s rights organisation. As part of activities to mark the days, youth distributed educational materials bearing information on gender-based violence and how it can be prevented. Wearing skates, the youngsters positioned themselves along the five roundabouts of Wandegeya, Spear Motors (Nakawa), Bwaise, Nateete and Clock Tower in Kampala with placards calling for action against violence.
High prices hit women hard
As the harsh economic times raged, women were particularly affected.
As a social group, women still occupy the largest statistic of poor people hence affected more by inflation,” says Solome Nakaweesi, a women rights activist.
She argues that the fact that women still play roles in the domestic domain like childcare, they were affected adversely by rising fuel and sugar prices.
How does a woman manage feed a child when a kilo of sugar on average was at sh5,000?,”
The power cuts, says Nakaweesi affected women more adversely as women occupy the biggest number of active informal sector workers, factory and lower echelons who are at a threat of losing business or being sacked due to foreclosures.
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
Published by the New Vision, on Jan 03 2012
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