Kadaga faults government on gender issues

Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga

Kadaga was reacting to complaints from officials of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), like Kadaga,  the same document is occasionally demanded of them when they represent Uganda in international fora on gender Issues.

“Am always embarrassed every time I go to Geneva to attend meetings on gender Issues and I am asked to present an official report on the state of women in Uganda.

I end up presenting nothing because I have never seen such a report. This shows that Uganda has not yet shown commitment in the fight in this cause. I think its high time government improved on this.”

Kadaga made the remarks while officiating as the chief guest during an induction workshop for the 9th parliament on Gender Issues at Hotel Africana  recently.

But to international women activists attending the meeting, Kadaga’s remarks came as an extra blow to the conspicuous absence of nearly all male legislators almost throughout the 2-day seminar creating an impression that while Uganda has in the recent past won credit in emancipating women, it is still a long way in changing the negative attitude towards women issues in a predominantly male dominated society.

Nevertheless, Kadaga pledged to spare no efforts as leader of the legislature to leave no stone unturned in pushing for women’s freedom, and to ensure the expeditious handling of all legislations bearing on women’s issues including the domestic relations  bill.

“We have had to work under the speaker’s unrelenting pressure to finish business on the Domestic bill and am  now happy to report that we are only waiting for a slot on the order paper to present it on the floor of parliament,” said Stephen Tasyobya, the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on legal issues, attesting to the gusto with which the speaker is sparing no efforts to promote the cause of women during the tenure of the 9th parliament. 

Women issues have come into the limelight in recent days partly because Uganda is hosting the Inter-Parliamentary Union a forum that brings together over 1500 Parliamentarians from over 150 countries of the world.

The theme of the conference is “Parliaments  and the people” with a focus on maternal health and good governance.

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