DP Women’s League demands action on women’s rights

4 March 2026, 9:17 am

By Ronald Ssemagonja

As the country prepares to mark International Women’s Day this weekend, the Women’s League leader of the Democratic Party (DP), Sarah Adong, has called for urgent action to address the persistent challenges affecting women and girls across Uganda.

Addressing journalists yesterday at the party headquarters in Kampala, Adong highlighted several barriers that continue to hinder women and girls from achieving their full potential within their communities. Speaking under this year’s International Women’s Day theme, “Scaling up investment to accelerate access to justice for all women and girls in Uganda,” she noted that limited legal awareness, inadequate legal aid services, and systemic failures within the justice system remain major obstacles.

“There are still significant gaps in increasing financial, technical and political resources to eliminate legal barriers, strengthen gender-responsive mechanisms and combat gender-based violence,” Adong said, adding that many women are unable to access justice due to these shortcomings.

On the education sector, Adong criticized what she described as the commercialization of education, arguing that it has placed an additional burden on families, especially those in rural areas. She pointed to what she termed as unnecessary increases in school fees by private schools, while many public primary schools remain in a poor state.

“With the high levels of poverty, girls at the grassroots are denied access to quality education,” she said, calling upon the Minister of Education and Sports, Janet Kataaha Museveni, to critically examine the issues affecting the sector.

Adong also raised concerns about the economic status of women in Uganda, saying many hardworking women are not adequately benefiting from government-supported initiatives. She cited the GROW project, noting that collateral requirements and limited transparency have excluded many women, particularly those in rural enterprise.

She urged the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to review the implementation of such programs to ensure equitable access.

Regarding the upcoming Women Council elections scheduled between March and April, Adong called on security forces to refrain from interfering in the electoral process. She emphasized that their role should strictly be to maintain peace and order.

“These elections are crucial, yet up to now the Electoral Commission has not conducted sufficient civic awareness,” she said.

Despite the challenges, she encouraged DP branch leaders, including chairpersons and Women’s League leaders, to identify and prepare potential candidates ahead of the polls.

She concluded by reiterating the party’s call for peaceful, transparent and inclusive elections, urging security agencies to provide protection without direct involvement in the electoral process.