Budget has Sidelined Women

Finance minister Maria Kiwanuka displays the briefcase containing her 2014/2015 Budget Speech at Serena Hotel earlier this month. Women activists say the Budget has left out many gender issues. PHOTO BY Geoffrey Sseruyange 

By STEPHEN KAFEERO

Kampala.
Women activists have asked the government to redistribute resources to sectors where women are directly involved or the 2014/15 Budget will not have significant impact on women.

The women raised their concern during a think-tank meeting held at the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) offices in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb recently.

Ms Margaret Kakande, the head of Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit at the Ministry of Finance, presented the gender analysis of the 2014/15 National Budget speech, where she noted that the drivers of growth such as cash crop production, manufacturing, mining; transport and communication are not sectors where women are engaged.

She added that gender inequality persists in Uganda in terms of access to and control of a range of productive, human and social capital assets.

Ms Sophie Kyagulanyi, the programme manager at FOWODE, said there was a need for more budget allocation by the government to finance such things as family planning, but commended the government’s intervention on malaria, which she noted will help to save the lives of women and children if implemented.

The women activists resolved to engage committees of Parliament such that the women’s agenda is considered in the budgetary appropriations before August when the Budget is likely to be passed.
They also vowed to reach out to people in their localities to influence their leaders, especially Members of Parliament to, include the issues of women in the Budget.

Ms Oleru Huda Abason, the Woman MP for Yumbe District, tasked the activists to provide alternative proposals to the Budget such that they can guide the legislators during the process of resource appropriation.

“On many occasions, we fail to present the issues of the women because we lack researched information and backing yet our colleagues in Cabinet have staff that provide them with all the information they need to support their position.”

The think tank meeting was attended by legislators, academicians and civil society activists.