Ogwal’s influence will outlast our generation

Hon Cecilia Ogwal is now resting. I recall my conversation with her on women, media and public in 2015. So much has been said. This is an addition.

In Parliament, Ogwal was often speaking of the budget, where government overstepped or failed on accountability. But she would not think twice or remember her political party where a woman’s leadership is on the line. 

She often took a frontline position when there was a controversial matter, such as the election of the  Speaker. “I didn’t care whether I was a member of the Opposition or what, but this was the leadership of a woman being challenged. And I had to protect her. You touch Kadaga it’s like you have touched me”. She insists that she had to be at the forefront of Kadaga’s election.

“Now I am going to take position to try and see how I can help Specioza Kazibwe”. The former Vice President of Uganda (1994-2003), was at the time vying for the position of chairperson, African Union Commission.

Yet, it is not only in Parliament that Ogwal supported women. One anecdote tells the extent to which Ogwal would go to support women.

When she became chairperson of Uganda Development Bank, she found all the heads of departments were men. She felt insulted, she says. She asked if there were professional women in the organisation. She was given names, and files of three senior women to study. 

“When I looked at those files, I was angry. There was nothing in the file to prove that maybe they were not performing well. Victoria Ssekitoleko had been in the bank for 12 years without a single promotion. The other one creeping through promotion, laboriously”.

She restructured the organisation, gave Ssekitoleko double promotion because she asked questions nobody could answer, which meant she had been unfairly treated. 

She gave also the other two women managerial positions. 

This action to right what she considered injustice to these women was to later produce Uganda’s first female Finance minister, Sydah Bbumba, who refers to Ogwal as her mentor, mother, and everything.

Ssekitoleko also had an illustrious career, later appointed minister of Agriculture and worked with the Food and Agricultural Organisation, as well as other NGOs.

Ogwal painted the picture of a political regime and government determined to marginalise the northern part of the country and disrespect the Opposition. When she turns to this subject, she looks angry. The political space remains closed in reality. “Mind you, this is a movement system, they cannot even tolerate political party politics”. 

She insisted that the way of our politics remained solid in the Movement system despite Uganda being a multi-party dispensation.

Ogwal was remarkably courageous and confident, with a determined conviction. She was totally unafraid of people, whether it is President Museveni or her then party president. She disagreed with President Museveni on many things.

At the budget reading of 2016, Ogwal stood up and offered to read the budget because the president had not yet appointed a cabinet, which meant there was no minister of Finance. That meant any Member of Parliament could read the budget. The Opposition cheered her on.

As a senior member of the Opposition, she was far from the choice of who could read the budget, but she knew how to be vocal when it mattered most. She told me about being the President’s choice of  vice president during the no party system. 

“He has never forgotten asking me to be his vice president and I refused”. She was in the Constituent Assembly and the voice for return to multi-party system. She believed being vice president would divert her from the struggle of return to competitive politics then.

Ogwal, particularly aware of the limitations women who accessed political space had, understands why few women speak up whether in Parliament or on media.

“The thing is, we haven’t yet broken out to build our own credentials for being who we are, and defend our credentials for being a Member of Parliament, for being this or being that. Some of us are very independent-minded because we have decided to be completely independent, to the extent that I don’t care who intimidates me”. 

If Ogwal had a single conviction, it would be that multi-party democracy gives people the freedom to speak out, which she believed had not materialised.

When all is said, it is easy to understand why Cecilia Ogwal had such an impact on people, Ugandan politics and political development in Africa.

Blessed with charisma and competence to match, Ogwal’s commitment and credibility to politics, public service and women’s  empowerment is beyond question. She will be missed but her influence will outlast our generation. Many will cry for her, from the bottom of their hearts.

Ms Maractho (PhD) is the director of Africa Policy Centre and senior lecturer at Uganda Christian University.                       
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