By KT Reporter
Police in the Busoga sub-region have urged women leaders to prioritize their safety throughout the ongoing electoral processes, describing it as key to fostering fairness and promoting peaceful participation. While addressing women leaders from across the sub-region on Tuesday, Agnes Nampijja, the head of the Child and Family Protection Unit (CFPU) in Kiira Region, emphasized that existing laws mandate the police to safeguard women’s rights during electoral periods.
However, she noted that such protections can only be effective through collaborative efforts involving all stakeholders. “Much as political seasons are heightened times, with several parties hurling violence against each other, women should be bosoms of peace building all the way,” Nampijja said. “Political seasons rage for a time, but communities live together forever, and it is imperative for all women leaders to cultivate the spirit of sustainable peace building.”
Despite the call for calm and safety, some women leaders raised concerns about the conduct of security agencies during elections, accusing them of using excessive force and being biased in favor of incumbents. Noet Nangobi, the female youth councillor in Kamuli District, accused security operatives of frustrating fresh political entrants, especially young women vying for positions long held by influential individuals.
“We are not in this to end our political dreams at the youthful levels. However, some of us are vying for positions, that have been held by powerful individuals for a long time now, and rather than acting with fairness for all, a section of security personnel directly scare us from contesting. Some security operatives guard chaotic supporters of incumbents,” Nangobi said.
Nangobi called for a level playing field, urging police and other security agencies to refrain from favoring established politicians over new contenders. Monica Namukose, the Speaker of Jinja District Local Government, highlighted the growing problem of cyberbullying, particularly targeted at women politicians. She said some political camps hire online attackers to intimidate their opponents.
“Some political camps are fond of hiring cyber bullies against fellow women leaders, which overly discourages some of them from active participation in electoral processes,” Namukose said. “Police should be available to comprehensively investigate cases of cyberbullying as they limit women from political participation for fear of being humiliated by either fellow contestants or, at times, probable voters.”
Namukose argued that cyberbullies often spread easy-to-believe but fake information against women leaders, which sometimes leads to domestic violence within their homes. In response, Nampijja reassured the women that political desks at police stations countrywide are fully equipped with gender-sensitive officers trained to handle election-related matters involving women and children. “There are ongoing efforts to ensure that at least one female constable is deployed at each of the polling stations during the electoral process as a means of minimizing cases of manhandling suspected women offenders on election dates,” Nampijja said-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
