By KT Reporter
“In 1986, although women formed more than 50% of the total population of 14 million Ugandans, their full potential was not realized on account of lack of education, lack of opportunities, chronic ill health, and early death,” President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni said, reflecting on the historical challenges women faced in Uganda.
The message, delivered on his behalf by Vice President Jessica Alupo during the International Women’s Day commemoration at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds in Kampala, highlighted the progress Uganda has made in empowering women through education, legal reforms, and economic initiatives.
President Museveni described the annual celebration as a moment to recognize the role women play in national development.
“International Women’s Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the significant role played by women and girls in our families, local communities, and the country at large,” he said.
“The real key to development lies in cultivating the inherent potential of all people, both men and women.”
The President pointed to education as one of the most transformative reforms introduced under the National Resistance Movement government.
He noted that when Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) were introduced, girls benefited significantly because they had previously been excluded when families had limited resources.
“In the past, when a family had to make a choice because of limited income, it was the girl child who stayed home while the boy attended school,” Museveni said.
“When we introduced free education for all, those who benefited in a special way were the girls.”
He emphasized that educating girls has far-reaching benefits for families and society, particularly in improving maternal and child health outcomes.
“It is a mother’s level of education and access to information which will decide whether or not she will go for a tetanus vaccination in pregnancy, whether a trained person will be present at birth… whether water will be boiled and hands washed,” he said.
President Museveni also highlighted measures introduced to increase women’s participation in leadership, including affirmative action policies such as the additional 1.5 points awarded to girls seeking admission to university and reserved parliamentary seats for women.
“Women are free to stand for any elective office, but they also have additional seats which they compete for,” he said. “That way we have been able to increase their numbers in public office, and women have proved to be better leaders and managers than men.”
He recalled the role women played during Uganda’s liberation struggle, describing them as resilient and dependable.
“During our resistance against dictatorships, we treated everyone equally, and I found the women to be much more resolute than many men,” he said.
The President also highlighted legal measures aimed at protecting women and girls from violence and harmful cultural practices.
“In order to provide justice to women, we introduced big punishments for rape and defilement,” he said. “This was aimed at protecting the women who are the victims of these crimes.”
He added that the government has actively fought practices that undermine women’s dignity, including female genital mutilation, early marriages, and domestic violence.
“These inhuman cultural practices have been challenged because they undermine the dignity of women,” Museveni said.
Beyond legal reforms, Museveni stressed that poverty eradication and wealth creation remain central to improving the lives of women.
“When families get out of poverty through commercial farming, manufacturing, services and ICT, it becomes easier to address the remaining challenges faced by women,” he said.
“When families become wealthy, they are able to educate all their children.”
Speaking at the same event, the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi, said Uganda has made notable strides in advancing women’s empowerment but must continue addressing persistent inequalities.
“International Women’s Day is celebrated to remember the struggle that women and men throughout the world worked hard to achieve women’s empowerment,” Amongi said. “It is a day that we celebrate the gains we have made and reflect on the agenda that still remains to be done.”
She praised the resilience of Ugandan women, particularly those in rural communities who support families and sustain livelihoods.
“We celebrate the courage of ordinary rural women who have worked tirelessly to feed their families, educate their children, and anchor Uganda as a society,” Amongi said. “Without the family, Uganda does not have a foundation, and without women, there is no family.”
Amongi highlighted a range of government programs aimed at strengthening women’s economic independence, arguing that financial empowerment enables women to challenge discrimination and protect their rights.
“We believe that economically independent women can challenge discrimination and protect themselves and their children from injustices,” she said.
Among the key initiatives she cited were the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme, the Youth Livelihood Programme and the Generating Growth Opportunities and Productivity for Women Enterprises (GROW) project, which supports women entrepreneurs seeking to expand their businesses.
She also pointed to the impact of the Parish Development Model (PDM), noting that the government had deliberately reserved a share of the funds for women.
“We ensured that the PDM was engendered by reserving 30 percent of the funds for women,” Amongi said. “The statistics we now have show that women have benefited even more than men, with 51.7 percent of the beneficiaries being women.”
The minister also highlighted legislative reforms aimed at strengthening women’s rights, including the Equal Opportunities Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Succession (Amendment) Act of 2022.
“The Succession Amendment Act has advanced access to justice by aligning succession law with constitutional provisions on gender equality,” Amongi said. “It ensures fair distribution of property to both male and female dependents.”
She added that the law now allows families to designate daughters as heirs. “In the old law it was only the heir. Now it is heir or heiress. So if somebody dies, you can even leave your daughter as your heiress,” she said.
Despite progress, Amongi acknowledged that women continue to face challenges, particularly in the justice system when dealing with gender-based violence cases.
“There is still a high dismissal of gender-based violence cases due to several factors, including delayed trials, poor forensic evidence preservation, and lack of witness protection,” she said.
She also pointed to harmful cultural practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation that persist in some communities despite legal prohibitions. “These cultural norms are still persisting and require us to do much more,” Amongi said.
The Vice President Alupo also launched key national strategies aimed at strengthening protection for women and girls, including the Second National Action Plan on the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (2026–2031) and other gender equality initiatives.
The event brought together government leaders, diplomats, civil society organizations, and women leaders from across the country, reaffirming Uganda’s commitment to advancing gender equality and improving access to justice for women and girls.
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