Women in the Karamoja sub-region are raising alarm over deep-rooted traditions and practices that continue to marginalize them, effectively excluding them from critical development opportunities.
Women activists in the region have highlighted a grim reality where cultural norms deny women the right to speak in traditional meetings or inherit land.
Many women, they say, are treated as “beasts of burden,” expected to shoulder the weight of family responsibilities such as building homes, fetching water, preparing meals, and caring for children.
“The burden placed on women is enormous,” says Anna Longole, Executive Director, Ateker Cultural Center.
“They’re expected to manage households and farms, yet they have no voice or land ownership rights.”
This inequity is further compounded by widespread gender-based violence, with many women experiencing physical abuse. Such practices, activists argue, have widened the gap in women’s participation in the region’s development.
For women in Karamoja, a typical day involves walking long distances to fetch water, often from scarce and unreliable sources, before returning to prepare meals for their families and care for their children.
These endless domestic tasks leave no time for women to engage in education, income-generating activities, or community development programs.
The cycle of marginalization begins early for many girls, who are raised to assume household responsibilities rather than attend school.
This perpetuates the exclusion of women from leadership roles and economic opportunities in the community.
Activists in Karamoja are urging immediate reforms to address these longstanding inequalities.
A critical demand is the right for women to own land, a privilege currently denied by tradition. Many widows and single women are forced off their land, left vulnerable and without a means to support themselves or their families.
In addition to land rights, activists are calling on the government to provide agricultural resources, such as tractors, to ease the physical burden on women and promote farming as a sustainable livelihood.
“This isn’t just a women’s issue; it’s a community issue,” says Christine Akot, a member of Karamoja Peace Forum.
“When women are empowered, entire families and societies thrive. It’s time to break these harmful traditions and invest in a future where everyone has a chance to contribute.”
The activists emphasize that addressing these challenges will require collaborative efforts between government agencies, civil society, and local leaders to shift cultural norms and provide tangible support for women.
Until then, the women of Karamoja continue to bear the brunt of these inequalities, their voices calling for a society where their rights and contributions are valued.