Struggle for emancipation of women started before 1986
What you need to know:
- Many of these women are public servants and do not work for themselves but for a wider constituency beyond self. A few are of course rested.
As Ugandans marked and celebrated Women’s Day, the dominant narrative in the country is designed to make Ugandans believe that nothing of economic, social or political significance happened prior to 1986.
The youth especially, are being conditioned to a falsehood that all positive contributions to national development -including the emancipation and enabling of women and girl-children - came with the NRM government.
I, however differ with this view and I would like to thank the first UPC government for not only constructing schools dedicated to educating the Ugandan girl-child but for expanding existing ones to allow greater access to education for the Ugandan girl.
It is important that Ugandans honour the efforts of a dedicated group of women activists.
These include Maama Miria K. Obote, Ms Mary Okwakol (former vice chancellor of Busitema University), Ms Joyce Mpanga, former minister of Women in Development from 1988 to 1989 and member of Parliament for Mubende District 1996 – 2001 and Mary Oduka – Ochan a lifelong activist for women’s rights who had served on the Women’s Desk at UPC party headquarters from 1981 – 1985 just to mention but a few.
This list is not exhaustive and includes Prof Mwaka, Ms Irene Emulo, Ms Florence Nekyon and Ms Elizabeth Bitamazire, among others. What is interesting about these women is that they had and, do have a long history of integrity, consistency and dedication to public service for the common good that young girls and for that matter, boys can and should emulate.
Many of these women are public servants and do not work for themselves but for a wider constituency beyond self. A few are of course rested.
These women engaged the government of the day and succeeded in ensuring that March 8 was celebrated in Uganda just like in other parts of the world.
I would like to say thank you for shining a light on women issues and keeping women empowerment on the political agenda. We are under no illusion that we are there yet; the mortality rate during child birth for instance is unacceptably high for a country that professes to attain middle income status, among other things. We should take time to reflect on the issue of women’s health and empowerment and re-evaluate the status and role of women in Uganda.
As the likes of Maama Miria and others mentioned above reduce their public engagements, it is time for the next generation that not only benefited from the UPC government’s programme of increasing enrolment of girls in school through for example: Tororo Girls School, St Catherine Secondary School, Lira; Nabisuza Girls Secondary School, Byeranyanji Girls Secondary School and Christ the King Girls Secondary School to take up the mantle.
A significant number of these women have excelled in academia as well as in the private and public sectors; through this UPC programme women such as Rebecca Kadaga, former Speaker of Parliament, who attended St Catherine and holds, among other qualifications a Diploma in women’s Law as well as Jennifer Musisi, the first executive director of the Kampala Capital City Authority and alumni of Tororo Girls School. To them and others in league, the bell tolls.
We thank and salute our mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters and nieces; we ask of all Ugandans (not only women), the same high standards of strength and sacrifice of the women mentioned above recognising the words of John F. Kennedy: “With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”
This country was built on a firm, conscientious foundation but one with values and ideals for all including the weakest in society namely; women and children. Shine, ladies.
Tony Akaki, Milton Obote’s eldest son.
