Women, security clash over Women’s Day Celebrations in Hoima

HOIMA | WOMEN'S DAY CELEBRATIONS | WOMEN | SECURITY

Members of the Hoima district women's council have expressed disappointment over the Hoima district security committee for stopping them from celebrating Belated Women’s Day.

The celebration is slated to take place on Thursday, April 20, 2023, at Kibanjwa primary school playgrounds, Kibanjwa parish, and Kitoba sub-county, Hoima district.

Margaret Ruhigwa, the district chairperson of the Women's Council, told the media on Wednesday, her council has been organizing the function for the last two weeks, but they were disappointed by the district security committee after they halted their celebrations, yet they informed them in time.

Ruhigwa noted that they were well prepared to hold the function, but they were surprised on Wednesday when they received verbal communication from the Deputy Resident District Commissioner Michael Kyakashari that they could not go on with the celebration because they had not informed the security to prepare for the function.

She noted they had invited Bugahya County Member of Parliament Pius Wakabi to be the chief guest and agreed to grace the function after they invited Woman Member of Parliament Harriet Businge and she refused for unknown reasons.

Ruhigwa blames the halting of Women's Day celebrations on political fights in the district, adding that there is a need to forget their political differences to ensure the development of women in the district.

She blamed the Hoima district women MP for influencing the Security committee to stop the function for her agenda.

Beatrice Asaba and Harriet Kusemererwa, members of the organizing committee and women's council, said they wrote to the district security committee but they never responded and chose to stop them a day before the celebrations.

These are women led by Margaret Ruhigwa the district chairperson Women council sharing how security stoped them.

She adds that they have already put in a lot of money to see the day is successful, adding that what the security had done to them was unfair and it takes women back.

However, deputy resident commissioner Michael Kyakashari confirmed that security had stopped the women from holding the function because they had not informed the district security committee about the celebration.

He noted that they decided to stop the celebration after they engaged the district leaders, including the Hoima district women MP Harriet Businge and the acting district chairman Benison Chiche Rukumba, and told them that they were not aware of the function.

“The organizer did not involve us as it is supposed to be, I and my senior we were not aware of the function, as you know the women Members of Parliament is very key in the mobilization of such celebration, but when I enquired from her she told us that she was not aware, I asked the acting district chairman, he was also not aware, so on Tuesday we held an emergency meeting and invited the organizer, chairperson women council and asked her to postpone so that district can organize function where all leaders would be involved but she refused bringing in her political difference with the district women MP, so we told her cannot hold a district function like Nigina,” said adding that they stopped the function and advised them to find a day of their choice where all leaders would involve.

Harriet Businge Woman, MP for Hoima district, also said that she was not informed about the function, adding that the organizers were mobilizing secretly for unknown reasons. She added that she did not influence the stopping of the celebration, saying that security might have observed something not right and had to act.