When Women MPs forgot their gonja-selling counterparts

What you need to know:

Economic empowerment. Although the African Union recognises Uganda’s efforts in progressive policy promoting gender equality, more needs to be done to close the gaps in economic empowerment.

International Women’s Day celebrations were recently held in Mityana District where President Museveni presided over the occasion. The President mentioned in his speech the need for an increase in funds for wealth groups to help women access financial opportunities. The call was stressed by calling on MPs to increase the budget funding to women, the youth and elderly.
The appeal for incremental budget fund creates the impression that allocation of more money will eliminate grass root poverty. But the reality could be surprisingly different without significant poverty reduction.

Although the President’s passionate speech pushed for women’s economic empowerment, interestingly, a large part of the day was used as an opportunity to showcase Women MP’s individual achievements, fighting spirit and a lifting hand extended by government.
Some successful women such as Melinda Gates say that one of the best ways to find power in yourself as a women is to see it in the women standing next to you. In other words, your strength can only be measured by the success of others.

These words of wisdom seemingly escaped the Women MPs who forgot about the gonja (roasted plantain) women on that day. The Women MPs’ enjoyed President Museveni’s close attention as they narrated their individual achievements, meanwhile on the streets the gonja women spent their day sitting on the bare ground, trying to make ends meet so as to pay schools fees and put food on their tables.
Article 33 of the 1995 Constitution provides for women’s economic empowerment and Women MPs in 1989-1994 Parliament created the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA). It is meant to facilitate women’s participation, leadership in science, technology and socio-economic aspects.

The reality on the ground, however, shows that not enough has been done to lift fellow women out of poverty. Even when government in the past disbursed Shs43 billion to 577 women groups in 17 pilot groups under the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) aimed at increasing the number of rural women businesses start up, there are no tangibles to show as more gonja sellers toil on the streets.
It was not difficult to see that the gonja women silently felt powerless on Women’s Day with a formed perception that only the Women MPs, who lined up and thanked the President for the opportunity to avoid poverty, can comfortably celebrate.

The MPs messages of gratitude only cemented further the striking disparity. According to the United Nations, the rural woman makes more than a quarter of the world’s population. The United Nations Development Programme 10 years ago invested Shs27 million ($10,000) grant in a local women’s group consisting of 30 members in Panyangara, Kotido District.
The money bought a grinding mill, brick laying machines, 47 heifers and ox ploughs. The group’s effort started generating income which was then quickly re-invested in providing start-up capital to other women for business.

Although the African Union recognises Uganda’s efforts in progressive policy promoting gender equality, more needs to be done to close the gaps in economic empowerment. The high number of Women MPs can easily close the gaps by economically empowering local grassroots women group’s initiatives.

The Women MPs could re-focus more attention and efforts on supporting local women’s groups in accessing finance, help women generate income and lifting more women out of poverty. If the women MPs initiatives was successful, maybe 2019 Women’s Day celebrations will not be only about individual’s success, but collective women’s stories of economic empowerment per district.