SIR — As the outgoing Chairperson of the National Women’s Council (NWC), I wish to make my position and that of NWC clear to the public. With due respect, Mr John Kakande’s article on women and was youth council published on Tuesday was misleading. Kakande says he does not think the women’s council is still relevant under the multiparty dispensation.
He also claims that
thewomen’s council was represented in the Movement top organs and that it is an integral part of the Movement system.
The NWC, although established by this government, was put in place by an Act of Parliament under Statute1 of the Local Government Act as an autonomous body and therefore not part of the then Movement System. NWC has never been a member of any Movement organ and I challenge Kakande to prove it! On the issue of irrelevancy in multiparty democracy, the NWC was established in order to enhance women’s participation in social and economic affairs and groom them to become leaders at different levels.
There are quite a sizable number of Ugandan women leaders today whose talents have been identified and polished by the NWC.
A number of women who join the local councils at sub-county and district levels have been in the NWC structure. At national level, we have seen many women politicians in Parliament who have been serving as leaders in the NWC. I am one of the latest entrants as the NWC and now the MP for Gomba county in Mpigi district after defeating men due to my exposure, experience attained from NWC.
At this time when we are bent on increasing the participation of women in decision-making, we need the NWC to not only have women views voiced but be a training ground for women leaders.
Kakande’s allegation that the introduction of the council strangled NAWOU is not true because Nawou still exists and is an umbrella organisation for women organisations. The NWC is for all women of Uganda and we work with all women organisations.
The major difference is that we have the mandate of the people. I disagree with Kakande when he says that the NWC has no roles. We have tried to address women’s development through channels like microfinance schemes and promotion of immunisation for children below five years
