Women urge government to address electoral violence against women

6 March 2025, 2:20 pm

By Byamukama Alozious

As Uganda prepares for the 2026 general elections, women’s rights activists, united under the Forum for Women Development (FOWEDE), are calling on the government to take immediate action to address electoral violence against women.

Winfred Kiiza, a former legislator and opposition leader, emphasised that women’s fear of violence has contributed to their underrepresentation in politics. “Women fear to contest when there is violence, which has consistently led to a minimum representation of only 30% in politics,” Kiiza said.

Kiiza noted that the 11th Parliament has only 33.8% female representation, with just 7.4% having won direct seats. The situation is even worse at the local government level, where only 3.43% of leaders are women.

Georgia Tumwesigye, from the Women and Leadership Programme at the Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), emphasised that stereotypes, unequal power dynamics, and intimidation, including threats of sexual violence and property destruction, must be challenged to create an equal playing field in politics for all genders.

The Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE) is advocating for a safe and inclusive environment for women’s participation in politics. “FOWODE’s vision is a Ugandan society where women and men equally participate in and benefit from decision-making processes in both public and private spaces,” Georgia stated.

One of the younger emerging leaders, Charity Lenia Kevin, who is aspiring to be the Member of Parliament for Vurra in Arua district as a direct legislator, shared her experience of facing challenges in competing with male counterparts who have more resources. “Voters have become accustomed to being given money, which is hard to resist. Even the cost of making posters is higher, which deters potential women leaders who fear the expense,” she said.

FOWODE strongly condemns the recent electoral violence, marked by the heightened tensions and brutality witnessed during the ongoing Kawempe North by-election campaigns. “Such violence not only violates people’s rights but also breeds apathy among women, undermining democracy, equality, and national progress,” the organisation stated.

The activists have called on the government to take immediate action to create a safe and inclusive environment for women’s participation in politics. The organisation is urging the government to enforce zero-tolerance policies against violence, promote women’s participation in direct leadership positions, and challenge negative stereotypes and biases.

This call to action comes as Uganda joins the rest of the world in celebrating International Women’s Day on 8th March.