By eastafrican gazette
Despite the growing presence of women in leadership positions in the country, there has been minimal progress in empowering women in other sectors at various levels.
Phiona Namutoro, the state minister for Energy and also the national female youth MP, highlighted the gradual decline of the women movement’s agenda over time.
She emphasized the significant gap between women leaders at various levels and women at the grassroot level, which continues to impact the quality of leadership.
“As a young rising leader, my question has always been what could be the problem? Fellow mothers, sisters, do we know what we are doing? How do we explain that today overtime, numerically the number of women that are present in leadership has risen but the strength of the movement depreciates day by day,” she noted.
She expressed her views during the high-level women roundtable symposium held at Four Points by Sheraton Kampala in Kololo on May 14, 2024.
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The symposium, organized by Akina Mama Wa Afrika (AMwa) in partnership with Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET), focused on the theme “Re-Centering Women’s Agency and Leadership in Africa” ahead of the 2026 general elections.
Nyamutoro observed that it is regrettable that a concept which initially made significant progress in breaking historical barriers to elevate women in various spheres and promote women’s empowerment has now completely lost formation.
She recounted an incident where a prominent female figure advised her against discussing sanitary pads in public, deeming it inappropriate within African cultural norms.
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“What are you saying when girls are selling themselves for pads? What are you saying when girls are missing school because of pads? And you want us to keep quiet? So, is the new women’s movement about silence?” she asked.
Women leaders and activists, Nyamutoro said, must go back to the drawing board and rethink how the women movement can be revitalized.
She said it was “surprising” that many of those who rose to the top are now inspiring others from far away.
Nyamutoro pointed out that many women in other sectors are “out of touch” with the movement because they’ve been left behind yet they are the voters.
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She cited the women in media, informal sector, sports, energy, entertainment and others.
She stressed that at the country heads to 2026 general elections, women leaders have to go back on the drawing board.
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“Can we change the strategy to have all these groups of women in one room. We are supposed to be on the same footing because the challenges of the power struggle are is the same across at various levels,” she added
“The challenges that women are facing overtime are embedded in socialization. Much as there are barriers that have been broken over time, there are still very many that we need to break. We need to incorporate more women to interest themselves in this discussion to appreciate the essence of empowerment that we are pushing for and to have women rise up with much more energy to ensure that we see the fruits of women movement in realisation but also to see women better themselves in all aspects of life,” she noted.
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In her keynote speech, former first lady of Ekiti State of Nigeria and among the founders of AMwa in Uganda and African Leadership Institute (ALI), Bisi Adeleke-Fayemi, stressed though the movement want more numbers of women leaders to rise, quality must also be considered.
She also stressed the importance of solidarity and networking among all women without discrimination.
“That way they can have a better understanding of the challenges they face, a better understanding of how to engage society at large, other organisations, men and other leaders; and to create safe spaces to provide support for one another,” she said.
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She said Uganda is remains a model for women leaders all over Africa, stressing that the numbers can grow strategically.
“In my country we have a very minimal number of women in the national assembly. We have some states where you don’t have any women at all. When I was first lady in Ekiti State, I did a lot to ensure we have more women in decision making and politics but that was as a result of networking, collaboration and coalition building and that is what I want my Ugandan sisters to focus on,” she added.
Financial barriers in politics
Eunice Musiime, the Executive Director at AMwa, highlighted the commercialisation of politics which are continue to hinder women participation.
“A substantial amount of money is spent on politics and the political process, and not many women have no access to such funds to spend on reaching out to voters. We must raise awareness and tackle this issue,” she noted.
Musiime noted that women involvement in decision making is critical in resolving various crises faced in the country.
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“We are here to ask where we are in women’s leadership, especially political leadership but also to begin to say what is it that needs to change in terms of women’s leadership,” she noted.
The former Minister of Agriculture, Victoria Sekitoleko, emphasized the leadership potential of women but expressed her concern about the continuous obstacles they encounter as a result of money-driven election procedures that overshadow significant matters.
“If you are a young girl or woman planning to enter politics, start preparing now, as your past actions and present efforts will determine your success. While politics has sadly become excessively monetized, I believe that Ugandans still recognize merit. Women need to learn the necessary strategies to overcome these challenges; it’s not about being liked,” she added.
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The Commissioner Gender and Women Affairs, Ministry Gender Labour and Social Development, Angella Nakafeero noted that over the years, Uganda has made progress in political participation, and education among others.
However, she said there is still a challenge in economic empowerment among women despite the existing government programs.
She cited the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP), and Parish Development Model (PDM) among other opportunities that women need to harness to get empowered.