news 26 October 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)

Uncertainty Looms for UHRC Following Parliamentary Leadership Shake-Up

Over 1,000 pending cases hang in the balance as Parliament recommends a complete overhaul of the Uganda Human Rights Commission leadership. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/what-next-after-uhrc-leadership-shake-up--5646350

The recent parliamentary resolution recommending the replacement of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) leadership has ignited intense debate across Uganda. Questions are now being raised regarding the constitutional procedures required to remove commissioners and the ultimate fate of 1,093 cases currently pending before the commission’s tribunal.

Parliamentary committees, including Cosase and the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, recommended that the appointing authority disbands the current commission and constitutes a new one. This decision follows severe internal friction within the human rights watchdog. Proceedings previously laid bare deep-seated dysfunction, highlighted by an arrest order issued against UHRC boss Mariam Wangadya after officials arrived at Parliament without her.

Ms Wangadya, who officially assumed office as UHRC chairperson on September 29, 2021, had earlier alleged that three commissioners were running a coordinated smear campaign to undermine her leadership. Despite such turbulence, she noted that President Museveni had previously rejected her resignation.

The next decisive step now rests with President Museveni, who holds the constitutional power to appoint and dismiss commissioners. However, the President’s Press Secretary indicated uncertainty regarding whether Parliament’s official resolution had yet reached the Head of State.

As stakeholders await official action from the executive branch, human rights advocates remain concerned about the administrative paralysis affecting justice delivery for citizens awaiting tribunal hearings.