Women contesting for directly elected Member of Parliament seats remain few, an indication of stagnation in the gender equality struggle.
The law provides that women and men can compete for county-based constituency seats. However, in the cases of the greater Luwero and Masaka regions, it emerged that women continue to opt for the affirmative action seats at the district level.
In Nakaseke, the Electoral Commission nominated 16 candidates for three Directly Elected and District Woman Parliament seats. But only two women were nominated in the entire district, and these are contesting for the District Woman MP seat, namely Sarah Najjuma (NRM) and Esther Nakawooya (NUP).
The three constituencies, namely Nakaseke North, South and Central all attracted only male candidates.
In Luwero district, the Electoral Commission nominated 29 candidates to contest for the three direct and District Woman Member of Parliament seats.
From the breakdown, five women were nominated to contest for the District Woman Member of Parliament seat and only three others for the Directly Elected MP seat for Katikamu South.
The female candidates are Milly Nattembo (PFF), Patricia Magara, and Zena Mercycillah Ali, all Independent. In Bamunanika County, Elizabeth Salabwa Anyine is the only female candidate tussling with six other men in the race. In Katikamu North, the race attracted six candidates, all male.
In Nakasongola, the EC nominated 5 females out of 19 candidates for the two directly and District Woman MP seats. The five women are vying for the District Woman MP seat, and the other two constituencies are dominated by males.
Brenda Nabukenya, the Luwero District Woman MP, contested for a directly Elected MP seat for Katikamu North constituency in 2011 but lost the election.
Nabukenya later opted to run for the District Woman MP seat in subsequent elections, saying that the voters still think that the directly elected MP seat should be for men. She also accuses men of commercializing the direct MP seat, making it difficult for poor women to challenge them in those seats.
Esther Nakawooya, the candidate for Nakaseke District Woman MP Seat, said the situation has been made worse by the NRM government because poor women in villages can’t challenge some men in direct seats who steal public funds to bribe voters and retain the seats.
“Once you are nominated, every day you go out, there are expenses you must incur, including fuel and donations. Most women don’t have such money at their disposal for handouts, and this forces them to shun politics,” Nakawooya said.
Ali Zena Mercycillah, the Independent candidate for the Katikamu South MP seat, said that several voters, including women, are still ignorant that the directly elected MP seat is for both females and males.
Zena said she has decided to contest for the directly elected MP seat to prove that even females can contest, win, and serve better than males.
From Masaka Region, which comprises 21 seats for directly elected members of Parliament, female candidates were nominated for only eight positions and the other seats attracted only men.
The women who were nominated for directly elected constituency MPs include Rachael Nakitende, the NRM flag bearer for Nyendo Mukungwe in Masaka City, Sarah Babirye Kityo, NRM candidate for Bukoto East constituency in Masaka district and Caroline Birungi the NRM flagbearer for Kyamuswa County in Kalangala district.
The other are NUPs Asimat Nabalamba contesting for the Bukoto Midwest constituency in Lwengo district and Christine Ndiwalana Nandagire, who is seeking reelection in the Bukomansimbi North constituency.
Three female candidates were also nominated for directly elected MP seat in Sembabule district. They include the State Minister for Health in Charge of General Duties, Anifa Bangirana Kawooya for Mawogola West seat, NUP’s Goretti Namugga in Mawogola County, and Angela Kigoonya Namyalo, who was nominated on the DP ticket to contest for the Mawogola North MP race.
Racheal Nakitende, the NRM candidate for the Nyendo-Mukungwe MP seat in Masaka City, indicates that it takes a lot of courage for women to stand up to the task to challenge male candidates in a race.
According to Nakitende, the social and cultural beliefs still hinder gender equality.
But Rosemary Namayanja, the Deputy Secretary General of the National Resistance Movement, said that several women, including herself, have contested in directly elected seats, won, and served well in those positions better than men.
She said that the NRM government has created space that women can contest in all seats and they should be encouraged to participate if gender equality in politics is to be achieved.
Although there has been increased representation of women in Parliament and other Local Government posts, most occupy seats through affirmative action.
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