Vice President Maj. (Rtd.) Jessica Alupo on Sunday represented President Museveni as the chief guest during the national celebrations to commemorate International Women’s Day 2026 at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, calling for increased investment to accelerate access to justice for women and girls across the country.
The national celebrations were held under the theme “Scaling up investment to accelerate access to justice for women and girls across Uganda,” while the global theme is “Giving to Gain.”
Prior to her address, the Vice President inspected an all-women parade drawn from the Armed Forces, commanded by Lt. Col. Evelyn Asiimwe, highlighting the growing role of women in the country’s security institutions.
In her address, Alupo informed attendees that the President was unable to attend the celebrations because he was in Arusha, Tanzania, where he had recently been elected Chairperson of the East African Community succeeding his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto.
“His Excellency the President is in Arusha, Tanzania, where he was elected Chairperson of the East African Community. Join me in congratulating him. He has delegated me to deliver his message to you,” she said.
Alupo conveyed greetings from both the President and the First Lady, Janet Kataaha Museveni.
“I bring you warm greetings from President Museveni and Maama Janet Museveni. They all wish you well in these International Women’s Day celebrations. They might not be with us physically but are with us in spirit,” she said.
Alupo emphasized that International Women’s Day provides an important moment to acknowledge the contribution of women and girls in national development.
“The International Women’s Day is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the significant role played by women and girls in our families, local communities, and country at large,” she said.
Alupo noted that meaningful national development requires recognizing and harnessing the potential of all citizens.
“The key to development lies in identifying the inherent potential of all people, including men and women,” she said.
Alupo reflected on the situation when the National Resistance Movement came to power, explaining that although women made up half of the country’s population at the time, their potential remained largely untapped.
“When the NRM came to power, we were able to observe that although women represented 50 percent of the total population of 14 million Ugandans, their total potential was not fully realised on account of their love for education,” she said.
Alupo added that women were trapped in a disadvantaged position despite their critical role in the country’s economy.
“Women were trapped in a very disadvantaged position despite the fact that they were the centre of the subsistence economy and provided half of the labour for producing the few cash crops,” she said.
According to her, the NRM government took deliberate steps to address the marginalization faced by women and other groups.
“The NRM fought the suppression of women and other groups which faced marginalisation,” she said.
Alupo also highlighted the government’s efforts to eliminate harmful traditional practices that undermine women’s rights and dignity.
“We have also fought against inhumane cultural practices that undermine the dignity of women such as FGM, early marriages, and others,” she said.
Alupo urged Ugandans to ensure that both men and women actively participate in improving
household incomes and economic productivity.
“The real key to development lies in cultivating the inherent potential of all people both men and women,” she said.
“We should not have spectators in the drive toward increasing household incomes.”
The national commemoration brought together government officials, women leaders, members of the security forces, civil society organizations, and citizens from across the country to celebrate the achievements of women while calling for stronger investment in justice and equality for women and girls.