The third Deputy Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Rukia Nakadama, has warned Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) against blocking Women’s Day celebrations in the districts.

Nakadama said the RDCs have no right to block women Members of Parliament from organising and commemorating Women’s Day celebrations in their respective districts.

“It is unfortunate that women MPs have been mistreated on such a day. You [women] have the obligation to celebrate that day…So RDCs are not supposed at all to discourage or refuse women to celebrate their day and I am going to take it up in my office to call the people involved in this,” Nakadama said.

She was responding to a matter of national importance raised by Hon. Sarah Opendi (NRM, Tororo district), during a plenary sitting on Thursday, 13 April 2023.

Opendi, who is also the chairperson of the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA), decried what she termed as the continued violation of the rights of some women MPs by security bodies and RDCs.

“Last year, a woman MP used her money to organise Women’s Day celebrations in her district, and on the night before the event, the function was canceled by the RDC. This year, the same thing happened; we had the female MPs for Mityana, Luwero, Ngora and Kasese being harassed,” Opendi said.

Hon. Stella Apolot Isodo (FDC, Ngora district) testified how Ngora RDC last year blocked their planned women’s day celebration at the last moment without any reason or compensation.

“The minister of gender has always advised that women MPs be on the lead to organise women’s day celebrations, but some RDCs are using it against us, especially the opposition MPs,” Isodo said.

Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, called for a meeting between UWOPA and the Ministers of Presidency and Internal Affairs for harmony to prevail.