Elections 2021: What is in it for women?

ELECTION WATCH | GENDER

From the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party re-echoing their commitment to continue having women in decision making positions at different levels, and the National Unity Platform (NUP) promising to increase women's access to employment, Uganda's presidential aspirants are putting women at the center of their leadership ambitions in the next five years as they hunt for votes. 

Uganda just like other countries in the world subscribe to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of which SDG 5 aims to attain gender equality and empowerment of women through the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. 

However, across the country, women who constitute 51.2% (more than half) of the country's population remain greatly sidelined economically, socially, and politically, and remain subordinate to men even though they have substantial economic and social responsibilities. 

Women also continue to suffer from outdated cultural practices including widow inheritance and denied land inheritance, some of which border on infringement of rights and freedoms. 

The combination of obsolete practices and poverty has left women vulnerable and susceptible to domestic violence. 

About 50% of Ugandan women experience sexual or gender-based violence or even both.

It means women can't effectively engage in the development process of the country. 

What presidential candidates are promising? 

Patrick Amuriat 

The Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) presidential candidate, Patrick Amuriat and his party are focused on ensuring no woman is left behind on development matters. 

According to the FDC manifesto, the underlying issues holding back women empowerment have never been addressed to transform women's lives, instead, women have been induced to tokens that display favourable gender numbers only for selfish reasons. 

FDC states in its manifesto that the introduction of affirmative political seats for women never transformed women to fairly compete with their male counterparts because the issues that affect women participation, such as poverty and patriarchy, have not been addressed. 

It says while women constitute 34% of the 10th Parliament, the growth of these numbers has been a result of the creation of districts and not women having a competitive edge. 

In 2018, out of the 290 open seats, women occupied only 19.

Currently, there are only two women out of the 135 LCV chairpersons; three women out of 50 Municipality Mayors; and 12 out of 1,406 sub-counties and Town Councils Chairpersons. 

"This demonstrates a complete failure of the Affirmative policy, which was supposed to be a transit to women's equal political participation as provided in the Constitution," the FDC says. 

To increase participation of women in politics the FDC is promising to reduce the prohibitive nomination fees for every elective position.

It says the current sh3 million for a Member of Parliament, for example, is unaffordable by many women who would wish to join the contests. 

Robert Kyagulanyi 

To empower women guided by the Women's Manifesto and Gender Equality Policy, the NUP presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine has pledged to promote women's rights and domesticate the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa and allocation of resources for its implementation. 

"In order to achieve the above, the Ministry of Gender shall be restructured. The Ministry will no longer be under-budgeted and ministry budgets shall be released in full," reads the manifesto. 

Kyagulanyi has also promised to implement policies that provide for child care in workplaces both formal and informal. 

In line with his party's social protection policy, he has also promised to draft a policy to protect women from sexual harassment and abuse at work. 

He is also promising that the rights of women with special needs shall be mainstreamed in all laws, policies and programs as well as given adequate funding to address these needs. 

When it comes to increasing the number of women in employment, Kyagulanyi has promised to offer a tax incentive to employers with a minimum of 30% female employees. 

Willy Mayambala 

He may be depending on the financial generosity of Ugandans to run a successful presidential campaign and does not even have a manifesto, but the independent presidential candidate promises to offer free maternal services to mothers when he becomes president, and to pay women as well for every birth.

Mayambala has vowed that pregnant women will deliver at a zero cost and will be given sh500, 000 each after delivery. 

According to available statistics, a normal birth usually costs between sh820, 000 to sh1.2 million at a private hospital, while Caesarean births cost about sh1.64 million to sh2.1 million. 

These prices are substantially no different from what the government Mulago specialized women and neonatal hospital is charging for delivery. 

However, in other public health centers in Uganda, World Bank statistics estimate, a normal birth usually costs sh46, 000 ($13) at the hospital, while Caesarean births cost sh316, 000 ($88). 

It is a private programme being run by different private organisations that have given some pregnant women affordable and effective medical care for safe childbirth. 

Joseph Kabuleta 

The independent presidential candidate is running his campaign with the promise of financial liberation for Ugandans and that includes a plan to empower women financially all over the country. 

Kabuleta during discussions with a women's SACCO in Butangwa on Bundibugyo road from Fort portal said through his leadership gender-based violence, early marriages, and other poverty-related issues will be mitigated by giving all women a chance to make income of their own and reduce dependency once he wins the presidency. 

"We will strengthen such groups with incentives, market, collective skills training, and access to capital and credit," he said. 

Norbert Mao 

The Democratic Party (DP)  presidential candidate in Jinja launched DP's five-pillar agenda for 2021 general elections which include among other shared prosperity and ending corruption.

According to Transparency International corruption hits the poorest hardest undermining efforts to break the cycle of poverty and further distorting how income, resources, and services are shared between men and women. 

It says corruption worsens gender inequalities in society.

In focusing on ending corruption, it means aiming to end the cycle of poverty and gender inequality.

Nancy Kalembe 

The only female presidential aspirant has plans of empowering community businesses, farming, job creation, land security and putting in place response teams to manage disasters and pandemics. 

Looking at Kalembe's focus on land security for example, according to Transparency International findings on the impact of land corruption on women: Insights from Africa women's strong dependency on land as a resource means that land corruption disadvantages women more than men. 

Addressing land security will put an end to land corruption that disadvantages women and ensure they can own land, engage in meaningful agricultural production, and contribute towards national development.

Fred Mwesigye  

Independent presidential candidate, Fred Mwesigye has promised to reduce government expenditure, fight ethics-based administration and socio-economic transformation, fight against corruption, and bring good governance. 

Considering Mwesigye's promise to fight corruption and how that fight can impact women, according to a publication on the-gendered-impact-of-corruption, even though corruption does not always affect someone directly, its externalities usually indirectly affect third parties.

There are arguments that support the assumption that women do suffer more from the indirect effects of corruption. 

Mugisha Muntu 

The Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) presidential candidate has promised to deliberately increase the number of women in top leadership positions to ensure gender equality. 

While unveiling some of the priorities in his manifesto in Kampala in November last year, he also promised to prioritise the agricultural sector which employs more women.

Henry Tumukunde 

The independent presidential candidate at the launch of his presidential bid promised to establish a special credit line that will offer affordable credit to one million women. 

John Katumba 

The Youngster has promised to provide capital to poor women to enable them to set up businesses, employ jobless youth and support their families. 

He believes women are good entrepreneurs, and if assisted to reach their potential, can change the fortunes of many youths. 

Katumba has promised to give women in small businesses financial support to boost their business. 

Yoweri Kaguta Museveni 

Incumbent President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on his part is promising to continue uplifting previously marginalised social groups that include women and address their issues through among other Women Councils.

Women have representation right from sub-county councils, district councils, and Parliament.

Museveni said affirmative action was deliberate to ensure that social groups that include women are represented at all centres of decision making. 

Whereas socio-economically, NRM continues to implement programmes including free education, skilling, immunisation, and provision of water to benefit mainly the youth and women. 

In his 2021-2026 manifesto titled "Securing Your Future", Museveni states that NRM introduced the Women Entrepreneurship programmes to help women to develop income-generating activities. 

He promised NRM will continue with the representation of the formerly marginalised groups including women in decision-making at different levels. 

He adds that with improvement in the economy, NRM will increase the budget for women. 

"We have introduced Emyooga and industrial hubs for the youth and all different groups including women and will spread it across the country. The OWC programmes will also cover women," he states in his manifesto. 

How do women feel about these promises? 

It's good to note that all the presidential candidates are speaking about women-specific issues in their leadership plan, this indicates that women are not only important but are instrumental for national development, said the Executive Director Uganda Women's Network, Ritah Achiro. 

"When you ignore issues that affect women it means you are ignoring national development. There will be no development if a leader does not address women-specific issues," she explained as the country prepares to vote on January 14, 2021. 

She says though women are the majority in the country, in the social-economic and political spheres they are also mostly undermined. 

Achiro says for the presidential aspirants to recognize women issues and put them at the centre of their campaign is a step forward to bring the change that will empower women. 

But she says the promises by the presidential candidates in each individual manifesto should not be just mere campaign slogans or sweeping statements but actual commitments to women-specific issues. 

She says the presidential candidates should clearly pronounce how they are going to implement their promises to women-specific issues, monitor and implement them minus resorting to tokenism. 

Achiro says with such a commitment Uganda shall see more productivity of women in the economy and women contributing more to national development. 

She says until all political parties look at women issues as a national development issue and not just for electioneering will there be meaningful change.