Accommodate women in new political appointments - Winnie Kiiza urges NUP, NRM

Former Kasese Woman MP, Winnie Kiiza has urged the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) and leading opposition, National Unity Platform (NUP) to accomodate women in their ongoing political appointments.

Kiiza, who is also a former leader of opposition and now a member of the Alliance for National Transformation (ANT) said that the country cannot afford to lose the potential of another generation of women, and it is crucial to have women accommodated in crucial positions.

Speaking to Nile Post in a phone interview, Kiiza said that NUP and NRM are duty bound to respect the constitution and the global laws that government subscribes to.

“I call upon the NRM, because they are the party in power and are about to appoint ministers, I also want to call out the NUP because as a leading opposition party, they are also bound to appointing their shadow cabinet. I want to remind them that they are duty bounf to respect the constitution and encourage women participation in strategic positions at national level,” Kiiza told Nile Post.

Article 32 (1), of the constitution states that “Notwithstanding anything in this Constitution, the State shall take affirmative action in favour of groups marginalised on the basis of gender, age, disability or any other reason created by history, tradition or custom, for the purpose of redressing imbalances which exist against them.”

NUP on Friday last week released a list of some of their leaders in Parliament and on the 16 available positions, only 5 were women, and in mostly - deputy positions.

Kiiza, when asked to comment on the appointments said that she would have expected more positions for the women.

“i would have expected that the LOP (Leader of Opposition) would have been a woman, because women bring in a different kind of leadership,” Kiiza told this reporter.

Just like Kiiza, many other observers and political commentators have called out NUP, to ensure gender balance in the appointments.

“There's twice more men on the minority (NUP) leadership. Unless you say other female MPs turned down nominations to take on more positions, you can't justify this inequality!🚫” - @kaysafi said on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/kaysafi1/status/1398571819922251778?s=21

In a conversation with Nile Post, NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said that the list has women on it.

“It is not an all men appointment, there are definitely women on here (on the list),” Rubongoya said.