Politics 12 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Uganda's Cabinet Nears Gender Parity at 49% Female
Uganda's Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, highlighted the nation's significant progress in female representation in governance, with women comprising 49% of the Cabinet. However, he urged a focus on the actual impact of these women in policy-making rather than just numerical presence. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/uganda-s-cabinet-now-49-female-as-deputy-speaker-tayebwa-urges-shift-from-numbers-to-real-impact-5629714
Uganda is making strides in gender representation within its government, with women now making up 49% of the Cabinet. This significant figure was shared by the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, while addressing the World Women Parliamentarians Forum in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Tayebwa noted that this progress is largely a result of constitutional affirmative action provisions implemented since the National Resistance Movement (NRM) came to power in 1986. Beyond the executive branch, women constitute 35% of the 11th Parliament, holding 187 out of 529 seats. High-profile positions such as Vice President, Prime Minister, and two Deputy Prime Ministers are currently held by women, demonstrating their inclusion at the highest levels of state administration.
The country also integrates gender and equality assessments into its national budget formulation, overseen by the Equal Opportunities Commission, to protect the interests of women and marginalized groups.
Despite these achievements, Tayebwa stressed that numerical representation is only the first step. He urged fellow lawmakers to ensure that women in leadership roles have real influence over policy, laws, and budget decisions that shape society. “Representation is only the beginning,” he stated, emphasizing that the true measure of progress is whether women’s voices are actively shaping the future.
He highlighted inter-parliamentary collaboration as a crucial tool for sharing strategies to enhance women’s global influence. The forum itself, themed “From Representation to Influence in the Decision-Making Process,” aimed to assess progress since the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women.
Other delegates shared their national experiences, with Kenya’s delegation head noting ongoing efforts to meet their constitutional gender rule, and Azerbaijan’s representative recalling their nation’s early advancements in women’s rights. Mongolia’s Foreign Minister, Battsetseg Batmunkh, opened the conference by observing the significant increase in global female parliamentary representation since 1995.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)