Uganda at 63: Rights commission urges citizens to embrace protection of rights fight

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The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has urged citizens to participate in nation-building through advocating for citizens’ dignity and social justice as guaranteed by the Constitution. 

The commission says the struggle to ensure human dignity in Uganda is not just about institutions, laws, regulations and policies, it is about people.

UHRC made the call in a keynote address at the human rights festival, organised by East Africa Visual Artists (EAVA) in Kampala on Independence Day (October 9, 2025). 

UHRC director of regional services Sarah Nakhumitsa said the commission was committed to the advancement of human rights in the country and working with human rights organisations such as EAVA. 

“Uganda Human Rights Commission, along with civil society organisations, continue to create spaces for dialogue aimed at protecting and promoting human rights in the country,” Nakhumista said. 

She added that the commission is actively raising public awareness around key human rights concerns, including freedom of expression, equality and access to justice.

“In 2024, the UHRC tribunal heard hundreds of complaints, out of which 249 were registered in line with the matters and disposed of 98 complaints. The tribunal awarded a total sum of shillings 238 million in compensation to victims of human rights violations. The majority of the complaints awarded involved violations of the freedom from torture, right to personal liberty and right to life,” she said.

However, their efforts are still challenged by perpetrators who abuse human rights with abandon and call for concerted efforts of both state and non-state actors to curb impunity. She highlighted the challenges, such as incidences of physical attacks on journalists that were more pronounced during the Kawempe North byelection in March 2025. She also cited the ‘troubling incident’ of the alleged abduction of two Kenyan activists after attending a rally in support of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi. 

“We need to work together to bring about fairness and justice for victims of human rights violations as well as prevent impunity,” Nakhumista said.

Art that informs

Vincent Kyabayinze, the founder of the Human Rights Are Universal Rights Arts Festival, said the event seeks to revive art that informs, inspires and drives national development. 

“As we celebrate 63 years of independence, we are celebrating four years of the festival. The reason for this festival is to revive art that speaks to us, revive us, and speak to the nation. With art, we see the future and address the challenges,” he said. The festival, which started yesterday, will run up to Sunday under the theme: Defend.

The festival features panels discussing art and human rights. At the panel discussing ‘reimagining the citizens' demand for accountability’, human rights lawyer and activist, Godiva Akullo, reiterated that the Constitution protects citizens’ civil and political rights, such as the right to protest or participate in an election. 

However, she said there is every reason for citizens to “continuously push for good governance and respect for human rights”. 

She said that artistes and activists are always trying to get their voices heard by creating an image of the society they want to live in.

“Issues like women’s human rights are issues which, if we looked at the law in black and white, we should be able to advocate for reasonably and not have to face challenges like being arrested on the streets,” she said.

As part of promoting human rights through visual art, EAVA trains and facilitates six young visual artists to speak truth to power through art every year. The creatives are mentored in a four-month residency programme. The six were awarded certificates at the festival, which was held at Xenson Artspace in Kamwokya. 

Kyabayinze, who is also the director of EAVA, said the artists residency was the organisation’s contribution to promoting visual art for promoting human rights. “Through art, we can imagine solutions and take responsibility for creating change ourselves,” he said.

Nakhumista welcomed all hands on board in ensuring human rights protection for the citizens as the country marks 63 years of self-rule. “As Uganda continues on its journey of human rights observance, there is a need for concerted efforts by both state and non-state actors as well as ordinary citizens to build a country in which human dignity is the cornerstone of every development effort,” she said.