Kampala, Uganda– The Women’s Democracy Network (WDN) newest country chapter was launched in Uganda at a May conference hosted by WDN and the International Republican Institute.

The conference, entitled Women Making a Difference in Parliament, was held prior to the inauguration of Uganda’s parliament as an orientation for the newly elected female members of parliament. Sessions were led by senior female parliamentarians who were returning to office, as well as experienced former legislators. 

In addition to the speakers from Uganda, the conference drew the expertise of WDN’s Kenya country chapter. Rosemary Nandi, a founding member of Kenya’s chapter, detailed achievements of the chapter to illustrate the impact Uganda’s chapter could have on women’s participation in politics. Elected members of Uganda’s parliament and co-founders of the Uganda chapter, the Honorable Christine Abia and the Honorable Rose Namayanja, provided their vision on how the chapter can serve as a unique resource to Ugandan women. Agripinner Nandego from the Women’s Democracy Group, a coalition established to collectively advocate women concerns in Uganda, talked to the newly-elected parliamentarians on how they can work with civil society to promote women’s rights.

The keynote address, given by the Honorable Dora Byamukama – a Ugandan member of the East African Legislative Assembly, encouraged participants to make a difference, “you have the status, you have the resources and the opportunity to lead and act. The time is now and you are the people to do it.”
Following the keynote address, the Deputy Speaker of Ugandan Parliament Honorable Rebecca Kadaga, who was later elected Speaker, encouraged the women to take on leadership roles and shared her experiences as a political leader.
In addition to the speakers, the conference included working sessions on topics such as attracting positive media coverage; gaining respect from peers through image, skills and knowledge development; engaging with civil society to improve gender policies and engagement on these policies in parliament; developing basic research skills to guide engagement on policy influence; parliamentary debates and public speaking; and influencing budgets to integrate constituency concerns. The sessions were led by women leaders from elected office and academia who provided advice to elected officials about their new responsibilities and shared best practices.
 

During the afternoon sessions, participants gathered to learn from experts about using social media to influence the public, how to act in accordance with the rules and procedures of parliament, moving private members bills, and maintaining party loyalty. Following the conference Member of Parliament Ann Maria Nankabirwa noted, “I am indeed proud that I not only had the chance to participate, but I also became one of the first members of the WDN Uganda Country Chapter. The workshop was so educational and the women who attended did not find any hardships in the first sessions of parliament.”

After the official launch of the chapter, a strategic planning workshop was held. The workshop was led by Robina Namusisi and Rosemary Nandi. Namusisi, a European Union program manager focusing on democratic governance and accountability in Uganda with extensive background in promoting women’s issues in post-conflict South Sudan, led participants through the importance of creating a strategic plan and encouraged the women to utilize their diverse skills. As a result of this advice, the Uganda chapter mission statement states that it is, “a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that utilizes the expertise of women leaders across sectors for the advancement of women’s leadership and participation at all levels.”

Nandi gave an overview of the WDN Kenya chapter and shared best practices, her chapter’s mission statement, code of conduct, activities, accomplishments and future goals. She also led the new chapter members in a discussion of the range of activities that they might pursue in Uganda.

To enable chapter members in their mission development, Robert Sentamu, Director of Wilsken Agencies, a Ugandan survey research firm, presented participants with data from an Afrobarometer poll on issues facing Ugandan women, socially and politically. The nationwide poll provided a variety of statistics, including the participation level of Ugandan women in political parties and the types of media outlets Ugandan women utilize for news. This segment of the workshop offered insight into how public opinion research can serve as a resource to identify issues important to Ugandan.

After participating as a guest trainer and sharing her experience as a founding member of the Kenya chapter, Nandi said, “I appreciate the opportunity WDN gave me to share and learn from women leaders of Uganda. The [Ugandan] women are energetic and very eager to take WDN Uganda to high heights.”