Women with disabilities face rising barriers ahead of Uganda’s 2026 elections

8 December 2025, 10:02 am

By Nancy Atim

As Uganda heads towards the 2026 general elections, testimonies from caregivers, political actors, disability rights advocates, and community leaders in the Lango sub region reveal deep-rooted barriers that continue to lock women with disabilities out of political and civic participation. Despite constitutional guarantees, structural exclusion persists through inaccessible polling stations, the absence of braille electoral materials, stigma, mobility challenges, and weak policy implementation.

In Kwania District, aspiring female councillor for Atongtidi Sub county, Juliet Awino Amwanga, says persons with disabilities have been without meaningful representation for years. She notes that many girls and women with disabilities fail to access government services, including education. Awino recalls being mishandled due to mobility challenges and urges the Electoral Commission to reduce nomination fees and provide interpreters and braille materials at polling stations.

In Lira City East Division, amputee and aspiring councillor Aisha Bint Abdul says her rehabilitation journey inspired her to uplift others. She wants government programmes on education, health, and wealth creation to reach women and girls with disabilities. Aisha warns that blind voters remain excluded because registers and ballot papers are not in braille, noting that braille is essential for voter communication, civic education, and budget processes.

Voters also describe significant obstacles. Apio Vera from Apac says many persons with disabilities stay away from elections due to long distances, poor roads, mobility challenges, and natural calamities such as floods. Stuart Cyprian cites discrimination and calls for empowerment programmes to help persons with disabilities take up electoral positions. Emmanuel Ian says society continues to label persons with disabilities as a separate group, urging the government to prioritise their participation. “Inclusive democracy means allowing persons with disabilities to fully participate, not just vote,” he says.

Linda Emor, a caregiver from Kwania District, decries impatient officials who address interpreters instead of deaf participants. She says some stakeholders lack knowledge on how to engage with different disability categories, resulting in shallow and disrespectful interactions. Carrying a heavy financial burden, Emor says interpreters are rarely paid, even after hours of work. She recalls working in the rain during a presidential visit to Kwania District on 3 October 2025, only to receive a paltry 20,000 shillings. She now wants the Electoral Commission to deploy sign language interpreters during elections and ensure priority voting for persons with disabilities.

Grace Alimo (not her real name), also a caregiver from Amolatar District, says that during the 2021 polls she encountered disrupted routines, limited mobility, and a lack of support as she balanced voting with her responsibilities. “Long queues and inaccessible polling stations make participation difficult,” she noted. She further cited stress, fatigue, and the fear of leaving vulnerable dependents unattended, all of which reduce caregivers’ ability to engage fully in election processes and civic activities.

According to Ceasar Okello Ivan, Assistant General Secretary for Barapwo Parish, many people still believe that women with disabilities “cannot and do not deserve leadership roles.” The UPC flag bearer for directly elected councillor in Barapwo Parish calls for more intensive inclusion education, saying community stigma remains a major barrier. He says women with disabilities are often viewed as “dumb” or unable to deliver, with some community members openly rejecting the idea of being led by them.

Political parties say they support the participation of persons with disabilities through established structures, but civil society organisations argue that disability inclusion remains inadequate. Jennifer Oleko, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) Women Leader for Lira City West Division, says that while the Ministry of Gender has made some efforts, election-related violence—such as chaotic rallies—and lack of funding discourage the participation of persons with disabilities. She calls for greater mobilisation and an end to stigma.

Civil society actors, such as James Acar, focal person for the Lango Civil Society Network (LASCON), express disappointment that no voter materials, including braille, have been produced specifically for use by persons with disabilities in the forthcoming elections. He also notes that no voter education has targeted women with disabilities.

To address this gap, local organisations like LASCON are now training women in public speaking and manifesto development.

The PWD councillor for Lira City, Mathew Omara, says inclusion stands at only 50 percent, criticising manifestos that ignore disability issues and election materials that disadvantage the visually impaired. He also highlights that disability laws exist only in print, not braille, making implementation by persons with visual impairments difficult. Omara adds that the system forces national PWD candidates to vote in Kampala, creating serious barriers for female aspirants and persons with disabilities at large who face mobility challenges.

Electoral Commission Deputy Spokesperson Paul Bukenya says the Commission works within legal frameworks and has reorganised polling stations to ease mobility. He also cites training for presiding officers and priority voting for persons with disabilities. However, he admits that braille voting has not yet been adopted due to unresolved challenges requiring further research.

He adds that mapping of persons with disabilities has been conducted ahead of the 2026 elections in collaboration with the NCPD and the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), though budget constraints remain.

Human rights advocate Dr Patricia Atim cites Uganda’s Constitution, particularly Article 35 and Objective 16, and warns that rights remain unenforced. She says PWD councillors lack operational support, assistive devices, and transport, while poverty, nomination fees, and election-related violence further discourage participation. She urges closer coordination between the Ministry of Gender and the Electoral Commission.

From the National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda (NUDIPU), Chief Executive Officer Esther Kyozira questions why political parties do not effectively implement their manifesto promises, especially those focusing on persons with disabilities. She says parties often believe that representation alone is sufficient, yet little is achieved for the wider PWD constituency.

Agnes Nampeera, the Principal Rehabilitation Officer in the Department of Disability and Elderly Affairs at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, says government efforts to strengthen political participation for persons with disabilities, particularly women, are anchored in the creation and enforcement of inclusive legal and policy frameworks. Nampeera explains that the Ministry continues to push for an enabling environment where every Ugandan, regardless of disability, can exercise their political rights without obstacles. “Our initiatives focus on establishing and implementing conducive legal and policy frameworks for participation by all Ugandans, including those with disabilities,” she says.

She notes that there is consistent coordination between the Ministry and the Electoral Commission to ensure accessibility and inclusion throughout the electoral cycle. According to her, the Ministry works closely with the EC as one of the key government actors responsible for guaranteeing equal participation in national politics.

Monitoring the enforcement of disability-related laws during elections is largely handled by the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD), a semi-autonomous government body mandated to oversee inclusion across all spheres of life. “The Council is responsible for monitoring how disability provisions are implemented, including during political processes,” Nampeera adds.

While cultural barriers have historically hindered women with disabilities from engaging in leadership or political activities, Nampeera notes that the Ministry has not recently documented cultures actively preventing their participation. Even so, she says their role remains critical in raising awareness about the rights of persons with disabilities and promoting their inclusion in all aspects of society.

Looking ahead to the 2026 elections, Nampeera believes more must be done to translate disability inclusion policies into meaningful change on the ground. She emphasises the need for increased awareness, stronger community mobilisation, and greater investment in accessible election materials and environments. “We need to ensure that the policies we have do not remain on paper. There must be practical action to make polling stations accessible, provide disability-friendly voter education, and address the unique challenges women with disabilities face,” she says.

According to data from the Electoral Commission, Uganda has a population of 45 million people. As of May 2024, the country has 21,501,584 registered voters, of whom 10,244,546 are male and 11,257,546 are female https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/mquay/3/

There are 45,505 elective positions, excluding roles such as LC I and women councillors. A total of 83,597 candidates have been nominated, ranging from the presidential level to LC III councillors.

Furthermore, the 2024 Uganda Census shows that 5.5 million people—about 13.2% of the population—have some form of disability. Of these, 1.7 million experience “significant difficulty,” meaning they may struggle to function independently.

Uganda’s Persons with Disabilities Act, 2020 guarantees that persons with disabilities have the right to participate in political and public life, including voting and standing for election (Article 13, Sections 1–2). It obliges government and political parties to ensure accessible campaigns, meetings, and voting procedures. The law requires voter materials and public information to be available in braille, large print, sign language, and other accessible formats (Sections 6–7). The Act further mandates priority support at polling stations, representation at all government levels (Section 12), protection from discrimination (Section 8), and provision of assistive devices (Section 5).

The production of this story was made possible through financial support from the Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (VIKES), in partnership with the Uganda Media Women’s Association (UMWA).