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By Spy Uganda
More than 30 years after Uganda introduced affirmative action to boost women’s participation in politics, lawmakers are beginning to question whether the policy has achieved its original purpose or whether it is time for a major constitutional overhaul.
The debate took center stage during the induction of Members of the 12th Parliament at Commonwealth Speke Resort Munyonyo, where legislators were challenged to rethink the future of reserved parliamentary seats for women and the broader framework of political representation.
The discussion was led by the National Female Representative for Persons with Disabilities, Laura Kanushu, who urged Parliament to undertake a comprehensive review of the affirmative action policy, arguing that it has remained largely unchanged since it was entrenched in the 1995 Constitution.
“The affirmative action policy has been there for over 31 years and it has not been reviewed,” Kanushu told fellow legislators.
“As the 12th Parliament, we might need to think about whether we want to review affirmative action, especially for women.”
Uganda adopted affirmative action to address the historical exclusion of women and other marginalized groups from political leadership.
Article 32 of the Constitution requires the State to take measures to support groups disadvantaged by discrimination, while Article 78 created district Woman Member of Parliament seats to guarantee female representation in Parliament. Similar provisions reserve at least 30 percent of positions in local governments for women.
The policy has significantly increased women’s presence in politics. Women now occupy about one-third of seats in Parliament, making Uganda one of Africa’s leading countries in female legislative representation.
However, Kanushu argued that increased numbers alone do not necessarily translate into equality or meaningful empowerment.
She cited research by former legislator and State Minister Peace Mutuuzo, which suggests that while affirmative action has improved women’s visibility in leadership, it has done little to increase the number of women winning directly elected constituency seats.
According to the study, women’s representation in Parliament has remained relatively stagnant at between 33 and 34 percent since 2006.
The research also found that only 5.4 percent of women successfully contested open parliamentary constituency seats between 2011 and 2021.
One of the study’s most controversial recommendations is the introduction of term limits for holders of affirmative action seats.
Supporters argue that limiting the number of terms would encourage leadership renewal and create opportunities for younger women to enter politics while motivating experienced legislators to contest constituency seats.
Kanushu, however, questioned why such restrictions should apply only to women representatives.
“This research proposes term limits on reserved seats. It does not propose term limits for open seats,” she said.
“The issue of term limits should cut across. It shouldn’t be put on only the women representatives.”
She warned that imposing limits solely on affirmative action MPs while allowing constituency legislators to serve indefinitely could place women at a further disadvantage.
“How do I compete with someone who has served seven terms when I am coming as a first-timer?” she asked.
Rather than abolishing affirmative action, Kanushu proposed that Uganda should consider moving beyond the current quota system toward equal representation of men and women.
“I think 31 years is enough for us to rethink the 30 percent reserved seats,” she said.
“What if we amend the Constitution and go for 50-50 representation? The ball is in our hands because we are the lawmakers.”
The proposal mirrors reforms adopted in several countries, including Rwanda, where women occupy more than 60 percent of parliamentary seats following constitutional quotas and political party reforms.
Any move toward gender parity in Uganda would require constitutional amendments and broad national consensus.
Despite progress in women’s representation, Kanushu noted that female candidates continue to face significant challenges outside affirmative action arrangements.
These include limited campaign financing, patriarchal cultural attitudes, unequal access to political party structures, election-related violence and the burden of domestic responsibilities.
The study also found that no woman won an open district chairperson election during the 2011 local government polls, underscoring the structural barriers women continue to face in competitive politics.
Kanushu challenged women legislators to deepen their understanding of gender laws and constitutional provisions to better represent those who elected them.
“If you represent women, people should wake you up at 2 a.m. and you should be able to explain women’s rights and the laws that brought you to Parliament,” she said.
She also urged experienced female politicians to mentor emerging leaders rather than viewing them as political rivals, warning that failure to prepare the next generation could leave Uganda recycling the same political elite.
The debate has opened wider questions about the future of affirmative action in Uganda, including whether the current system should be maintained, reformed or replaced with a model that promotes equal political representation while encouraging more women to contest directly elected positions.
Any changes would require constitutional amendments, public consultation and careful consideration of how to preserve the gains made over the past three decades while addressing emerging challenges.
Kanushu concluded by saying the success of affirmative action should ultimately be measured not by the number of women occupying political offices, but by the impact those leaders have on the lives of ordinary Ugandan women.
“If women are still living the way they used to live 30 years ago, then we cannot justify our representation to anyone.”
She added that the true test of leadership lies in improving the welfare of those represented.
“Our work must reflect in the people we represent.”
, https://www.spyuganda.com/end-of-woman-mp-seats-parliament-opens-heated-debate-on-affirmative-action/
