UHRC boosts image

Jun 16, 2005

ATTORNEY General Khiddu Makubya has advised the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) that it should not seek to impress donors at the nation’s expense.

ATTORNEY General Khiddu Makubya has advised the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) that it should not seek to impress donors at the nation’s expense.

The UHRC was created as a constitutional safeguard for the rights of all Ugandans. It has in general done a good job with limited resources.

Sometimes, the UHRC reports will embarrass government, especially if they award compensation to a citizen who has suffered unjustly at the hands of the security services.
This is the price of internal accountability. It can be embarrassing to have one’s sins exposed in public but it is necessary if human rights are to be protected. Does this damage Uganda’s image in the eyes of the donors? Probably not, as the donors are already fully aware of most of the bad things happening in the country.

In fact, the UHRC reports probably enhance Uganda’s image because they demonstrate that government and the security services are constitutionally accountable to an independent human rights body.
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