President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has underscored the role of education and skilling the girl child in empowering women and the entire society.
According to the President, when the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came to power, it fought the suppression of women and other groups that faced marginalisation on account of cultural and historical factors.
“We did this by guaranteeing education access for all at primary and secondary schools levels i.e UPE and USE. This was a fundamental empowerment of the girl child because when someone is educated, he/she cannot be suppressed. That was the real beginning of our reforms,” he said.
President Museveni who was represented by the Vice President, H.E Jessica Alupo made the remarks today while officiating at the International Women’s Day celebrations at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
The celebrations ran under the theme: “Scaling up investments to accelerate access to justice for all women and girls in Uganda”.
The President explained that in 1986, the NRM government observed that although women formed more than 50 percent of the total population of 14 million Ugandans at that time, their full potential was not realised on account of their education,lack of opportunities, chronic health and early death.
“Women were trapped in a very disadvantaged position despite the fact that they were at the centre of the subsistence economy and also provided at least half the labour for producing the few cash crops,” he said.
He noted that when the government introduced free education for all, those who benefited in a special way were the girls because they were the ones who were kept at home in the past as the resources were concentrated on boys.
“It is the mother’s level of education and access to information which will decide whether or not she will go for a tetanus vaccination during pregnancy, whether a trained person will be present at birth, whether she knows the advantages of breastfeeding, whether foods will be cooked in the most appropriate way, whether water will be boiled and hands washed, whether a child will be weighed or vaccinated, among others,” President Museveni asserted.
“Therefore, education and skilling of the girl child is an effective method of empowering not only women but the entire society.”
To empower women more, President Museveni added that the government introduced positive discrimination in favor of women to bring them to the front.
“For instance, for the university entry, we have the 1.5 points given to girls, they are free to stand for any elective office but they also have additional seats which they compete for. That way, we have been able to increase their numbers in public offices and they have proved to be better leaders and managers than men,” he said.
“During our resistance against dictatorships, we treated everyone equally and I found women to be more resolute than many men. Thirdly, in order to provide justice to women,we introduced big punishments for rape and defilement. This was to protect the women and girls who were victims of these crimes.”
On the other hand, President Museveni said the government has been able to fight inhuman cultural practices that undermine the dignity of women such as female genital mutilation, early marriages, wife inheritance, wife beating, among others.
Furthermore, the government also introduced poverty alleviation programs which are aimed at creating wealth and jobs at the household level. This, the President said, was part of the measures to empower women.
“When the households get out of poverty through commercial agriculture, manufacturing, services and ICT, it’s easier to address the remaining challenges faced by women. When families become wealthy, they are able to educate all their children. Therefore, families getting out of poverty is a good base for solving many problems,” he stated.
President Museveni assured that the NRM government has put in place the necessary resources and infrastructure like enough electricity, good roads, among others, to guarantee the profitability of the business enterprises.
“However, infrastructure development alone is not enough though it must come first. Development is a collective good for everyone but wealth and jobs belong to individuals, families, groups and companies. We should not have spectators in the drive towards household incomes.”
On her part, H.E Alupo congratulated Ugandans for the overwhelming victory they extended to President Museveni and the NRM government during the recently concluded general elections.
“We thank you very much as elected leaders for exercising your mandate and electing leaders at all levels to serve you. We’re sincerely thankful to all of you,”she said.
“H.E the President is in Arusha, Tanzania where he was elected the chair of the East African Community (EAC). Join me in congratulating H.E the President upon assuming the Chairmanship of the EAC,” H.E Alupo said.
The Vice President also launched the 2nd national action plan against gender-based violence 2026-2031, Uganda gender and qualityclimate strategy 2026-31 and national strategy to ending genital mutilation 2026-31.
The Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon. Betty Amongi said the International Women’s Day is celebrated in remembrance of the struggle that women and men throughout the world went through to achieve women empowerment.
“It is the day that we celebrate the gains that we have made and reflect on the agenda that still needs to be done. We celebrate the struggle, the courage of all the women who are determined, the ordinary rural women who have worked tirelessly to feed and educate their children in order to anchor Uganda as a society because without a family, Uganda doesn’t have a foundation and without the women, there’s no family,” she said.
Hon. Amongi noted that on this day, stakeholders also call for action for what needs to be done to achieve gender equality.
“We are dedicated to promoting programs that eliminate poverty, empower women economically and ensure women’s standards of living are improved because we believe economically independent women can protect themselves and their children from injustices,”she said.
The Minister of State for Gender and Culture, Hon. Peace Mutuuzo, said
Uganda was privileged to be among the first countries in Africa to provide opportunities for women to take a centre stage in the leadership of the country and to determine policies that favour women in the economic development of the country.
“Ladies and gentlemen, our demand for equal rights and access to justice is not just a modern fashion, it is a pathway through which Uganda will be able to develop faster,” she said.
“We have been able to see how women have progressed from the time the NRM government allowed them to participate in all areas of socio-economic development.”
She however noted that in the quest and struggle for emancipation and gender equality, a few challenges still stand.
“Gender-based violence has remained high. 52 percent of all the women have ever faced physical violence, the few who have not faced such have at least faced economic violence. Today, we would wish to mobilise not only women but also men to acknowledge the space for women, support them in developing this country and maintaining peace together,” she said.
The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Mr. Leonard Zulu, said Uganda has made commendable strides in protecting women’s participation in governance through affirmative action policies, among others.
“This year’s global theme is a clear call to move from commitments to concrete results; to ensure that justice is real, accessible in the daily lives of women and girls,” he said.
“Access to Justice is not only a legal matter but also a development imperative: a human rights obligation and a cornerstone of peace and stability.”
Hajjat Faridah Kibowa, the Chairperson of the National Women’s Council- Uganda, appreciated the women around the country who supported and voted for President Museveni in the recent general elections.
“It demonstrates clearly that women are not spectators in nation building but active partners in shaping the destiny of our nation,” she said.
Hajjat Kibowa also noted that the National Women’s Council was established by an Act of Parliament in 1993 and continues to serve as the voice of women from the village to the national level.
“We commend the government’s commitment to gender inclusion within the justice sector. Today women constitute over 50.6% of the judiciary in Uganda.”
At the same event, a total of 34 distinguished Ugandans were awarded with national medals for their distinctive role in the development of Uganda.
The event was also attended by the Chief Justice, His Lordship, Flavian Zeija, the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, the 3rd Deputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Lukia Nakadama, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, religious and cultural leaders, among other dignitaries.
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