LIRA CITY — Widows across Uganda are continuing to face property grabbing, poverty, discrimination, and limited access to economic opportunities, prompting renewed appeals for stronger legal enforcement and targeted empowerment programmes.
The concerns were raised during the commemoration of International Widows Day held at Boroboro on the Diocesan Hill in Lira City, bringing together government officials, faith-based organisations, civil society actors, and widows under the theme “Justice, Dignity and Economic Power for Widows.”
Speaking as guest speaker, Kabale District Woman MP Enid Origumisiriza said widows remain among the most vulnerable groups in society, often exposed to land and property grabbing immediately after the death of a spouse.
“Widows have many challenges. We still have property grabbing in Uganda. When you lose a spouse, the in-laws want to take the land and the property,” she said.
She noted that while some challenges stem from poverty, many are rooted in harmful cultural practices that deny women their inheritance rights, leaving many widows homeless and unable to support their families.
Origumisiriza called on government, development partners, cultural institutions, and local leaders to take stronger action to protect widows’ rights and ensure justice is enforced.
“I call upon government and leaders to also equip widows, especially young widows, with skills that can help them economically,” she said, adding that financial literacy should be prioritised in empowerment programmes.
She further urged coordinated efforts to reject practices that perpetuate the oppression of widows and called for targeted interventions to improve their livelihoods.
Francis Ochira, Program Manager at Redeem International’s Lira Field Office, said the organisation works with police, prosecutors, courts, and local governments to pursue justice for widows and orphans affected by property-related crimes.
He explained that many cases involve relatives or clans attempting to take over property after the death of a family head, often disregarding succession laws.
“When the head of the family dies, the clan comes to say this is our son who died and the land belongs to the clan,” he said.
Ochira stressed the importance of legal awareness and enforcement, noting that perpetrators must face consequences to deter future violations.
“When someone is being prosecuted, arrested, taken to court, we work with the police to sensitise the community,” he said.
The Church of Uganda also used the event to call for stronger advocacy and protection for widows.
Reverend Barbara Mugisha, Provincial Family Life and Mother’s Union Coordinator, said widows have long suffered in silence and deserve stronger public support.
“We are here to tell the entire nation that it is time to rise and speak on their behalf and defend them,” she said.
She emphasised that widows are often subjected to stigma and exclusion, yet play a central role in sustaining families and communities.
“Widows are not objects of segregation or stigmatization. They deserve dignity, they deserve justice, they deserve support,” she said.
Reverend Mugisha also highlighted economic empowerment as a key pathway to restoring dignity and improving livelihoods for widows across the country.
“Economic empowerment is what we are here to raise our voices for. Widows need to be economically empowered,” she said.
The commemoration ended with renewed calls for stronger enforcement of inheritance laws, expanded social protection programmes, and community-level awareness campaigns to safeguard widows’ rights.
