New female MPs: What will they stand for?

Committee chair Judith Nabakooba

What you need to know:

First timers. When the 10th Parliament opens for business mid next month, there will be members appearing in the House of Legislators for the first time. As the public waits for their new parliamentarians to start work, the first time legislatures also wait, with plans and expectations of their own

Agnes Kunihira (Workers’ representative)
As a workers’ representative, my aspiration will be to ensure that the working women fully participate in economic development, mainly at household level. Not all workers are better off and my contribution will rotate around lobbying government agencies and programmes such as Operation Wealth Creation for the benefit of the workers. The other area where I intend to put focus is fighting for workers’ rights more especially migrant labourers through lobbying the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development to ensure that before the export of any labour, recruitment companies negotiate and have clear contracts signed before their departure. I will also cause amendments to the NSSF Act as a substitute for liberalization.

Esther Anyakun (Nakapiripirit Woman MP)

Esther Anyakun (Nakapiripirit Woman MP)


I want to cause change in women issues, to lead the fight for the rights of the girl-child. The level of illiteracy is high in my constituency. I also plan to advocate for improved education systems and a better health system. I want to sensitise my people about all the laws we intend to pass in Parliament so as to let them know about their rights and about the Constitution. I want to enlighten them about what is happening elsewhere in the world and to make them know about their rights and entitlements.

Florence Namboozo Wamala (Sironko Woman MP)

Florence Namboozo Wamala (Sironko Woman MP)


We want the 10th Parliament to do more work instead of wasting time talking and deliberating on non-issues. I expect to see more positive than destructive criticism and I want us to work together. I have also heard that Parliament work has been bogged down by poor attendance of plenary sessions. This is wrong because as MPs, we are accountable to our constituents and there must be value for the Tax Payers’ money. But we also want trainings to induct us into Parliament. I will emphasise better education and health system for Ugandans and sensitise my women about self-empowerment.

Sarah Najjuma (Nakaseke Woman MP)

I am looking at reconciling with those that I contested with who lost because primary elections divided us. I will also focus on improving household incomes and self-sustenance. I intend to organise bimeeza at parish level as a way of gathering people’s views. In Nakaseke, we want to lobby for water supply in our constituency because we are near Kampala but we lack adequate water supply system. We want a parliament that will focus on the needs of everyone. We must also be in a position to consult our people and represent their views effectively before we can make any contributions in Parliament.

Mary Babirye Kabanda (Masaka Woman MP)

Mary Babirye Kabanda (Masaka Woman MP)


l pledge to work closely with relevant authorities to ensure that there is value for money on all projects that can benefit my people and to ensure that those projects are delivered to the public expectations.
We want to ensure that the national cake is distributed equally. As an educationist, I want to see an education system which emphasises skilling to curb unemployment. We also want to see teachers’ working conditions improved and their performance in rural areas improve. We want to strengthen economic empowerment among women to improve their standards of living.

Judith Nabakooba (Mityana Woman mp)
I will pay particular attention to issues of women at the grassroots, child protection, and improved education services especially within government schools.
I will add a voice to the improvement of service delivery, income generation especially for rural development and also advocate for modern agriculture practices. There is a problem of land grabbing in Mityana which I want to put to the relevant authorities. There is also the issue of access to water. Also, women need to be empowered and they need support from government.

Veronica Nanyondo (Bukomansimbi Woman MP)

Veronica Nanyondo (Bukomansimbi Woman MP)


I want to represent my people effectively and to lobby for projects that will empower them. I will emphasise commercial agriculture because majority of my people are still practicing subsistence farming, which is crude and does not bring in much yields. I’m lobbying friends and well-wishers for seeds and I will also look for market for my constituents’ produce.

Juliet Kinyamatoma (Rakai Woman MP)

Juliet Kinyamatoma (Rakai Woman MP)


We shall do our oversight role to ensure that people enjoy service delivery. We will also implement government programmes effectively and ensure that all the Bills are in line with what the people want. Women empowerment should not be a song but we must see results of implementation. It must be felt on ground and women should enjoy the fruits of empowerment. The girl - child is also confused by boda boda riders who they meet along the way from their schools while some walk long distances and are destracted along the way leading to a high school dropout. We will ensure that all this is addressed.

Margaret Lamwaka (Kitgum Woman MP)
I want to be part of a vibrant Parliament that will be appreciated by the public but more so my voters. As MPs, we must work hard to redeem the image of Parliament as an independent institution and one that will work with the the Judiciary and the Executive.
I want my people to benefit from my time in Parliament. I hope to empower them, to ensure that the jobless can get jobs as they will be empowered with knowledge to start up their businesses. I want Kitgum to be on the map for positive change and to see the girl child get the opportunity to complete education.

Nakate Lillian Segujja (Woman MP, Luweero District)
I have unshakable conviction that the levels of corruption will greatly be reduced if we follow up on the implementation of the Anti-corruption Amendments Act and the Whistle Blowers Act 2010. Yes; the big fish shall be netted, money recovered and temptation made so scaring. I also strongly believe that with a focused investigation, we shall stop the fraud, block the gaps and weed out the bad seed before the problem expands to lethal proportions.

In the health sector, I appreciate the government’s efforts of taking the services closer to the people by increasing the number of health centres. My ardent wish now is to advocate the availability of drugs in the health facilities, increase our focus on reducing both maternal and infant mortality rates and addressing the human resource requirements in the sector. If we also strategise to step-up monitoring at the facility level in a joint team with the local leadership, drugs will not be stolen as have been reported. I’m optimistic that the level of poverty and youth unemployment will greatly be reduced in the five-year term because of strategy to transform agriculture from subsistence to commercial farming through the four-acre modal thereby improving the standards of living and ensuring food security.

Operation wealth creation will greatly improve on the individual productivity power, and youth and women funding at the micro levels. I expect a significant improvement in the quality of education. The NRM government has sustained UPE and USE programmes (Bonna Basome), this term of office will embark on formulating strategies of improving its quality. I purpose to advocate for low cost teachers’ housing in all government schools.

Ida Nabayiga (Kalangala Woman MP)

Ida Nabayiga (Kalangala Woman MP)


I hope to see a Parliament that handles national issues regardless of party affiliations, rather than dwell on petty things. We must also ensure service delivery in our oversight roles. Party politics is good but I will work hand in hand with other political parties because services are non-discriminatory. I will encourage and support different ideas as long as they are fostering development.

On Kalangala Island, I will ensure that we work with all stakeholders to stop illegal fishing. I also want to ensure that Naads is incorporated in the fishing sector. We also need to empower the youth with skills to get their own employment.

Kalangala is unique in a way in that public roads are closed. Ferries stop working at around 6.30pm and the ship in Nakiwogo stops at 5.30pm. In case of emergencies People in Kalangala suffer alot in emergency cases, especially pregnant mothers in labour who cannot be helped. This calls for immediate government intervention.