the national women’s land rights conference · prayer breakfast session chair ... 7:45 - 7:50 am...
TRANSCRIPT
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SPEKE RESORT MUNYONYO – KAMPALA 4th - 6th October 2010
Theme: “Equality is not Equality of Outcomes but Equality of Resources, Rights and Voice”
Organized by: the Women’s Land Rights Movement-UgandaEnhancing Women’s Land Rights
THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S LAND
RIGHTS CONFERENCE
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Contents:
• Executive Remarks 2 • Genesis of the Women’s Land Rights Movement 6 • Keynote Address 7 • Case Studies 8 • Presenter Biographies 13 • A cry for women’s land rights 19 • List of Pioneer members 20 • Pioneer Member logos 21
Editor’s Remarks
Dear participants,
I wish to take this opportunity to welcome you all to this auspicious occasion when over 300 women [and men] join together for the common cause of finding solutions to the biting women’s land rights concerns. Shout loud, louder and loudest; knock, and knock until something happens. Women are our mothers, daughters, sisters and friends- their rights to land, must be realized in our times, in this decade, period. Indeed the time’s now.
I thank all those who contributed in one way or another towards this publication. To you all, I say, Bravo!
This Booklet is specially dedicated to all the women in Uganda that have lost their lives due to land related conflicts. May their souls rest in eternal peace.
Wishing you all a memorable experience at the National Women’s Land Rights Conference.
Tumusiime K. DeoTel: 0712-075721Email: [email protected]
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Time ACTIVITY RESPONSIBILITY PRAYER BREAKFAST
SESSION CHAIR Richard Ssewakiryanga 7:00 – 7:20 am Arrival & Registration 7:20 - 7:40 am Arrival of invited guests, 7:40 -7:45 am Welcome Remarks Agnes Kirabo Prayers by Religious Leaders
7:45 - 7:50 am National Anthem Bahai Choir 7:50 - 7:55 am -Deputy Mufti of Uganda 7:55 - 8:00 am -Metropolitan Jonah Lwanga 8:00 - 8:05 am -Bishop of Mukono 8:05 - 8:10 am -Patricia Senoga 8:10 - 8:15 am -Pastor Dr. Joseph Sserwadda 8:15 - 8:30 am Background of the Women’s Land Conference
AND Presentation of the Women’s Minimum Demands
Ms. Esther Obaikol
8:30 - 8:50 am Keynote Address State Minister Lands, Hon. Asuman Kiyingi 8.50 - 9:30 am Address by the Chief Guest H.E the President 9.30-10:00am BREAK
WOMEN AND LAND ADMINISTRATION SESSION CHAIR Dr. Abby Zziwa 10:00 – 10:30 am Women in Land Administration, Sarah Kulata Basangwa 10:30 – 11:00 am Effects of a Decentralized Land Framework on
Tenure Security for Women. Dr. Josephine Ahikire
11:00 - 11:30 am Impact of Land grabbing and Commercialization of land on women’s security of tenure.
Sarah Mujabi Mujusi
11:30 – 12:00 Impact of culture on Women’s ownership and Access to land
Prof. Samson Opolot
12:00 - 13:00 Plenary Discussion All 13:00 – 2:00 pm LUNCH All
SESSION CHAIR Dr. Maria Nassali 2: 00 -2:20 pm
Food security, livelihood and Women’s Land Rights: What if Women gave up?
Elizabeth Kharono
2:20 – 2:40 pm
The Role of Trade and |Trade Commitments in Land Policy in Africa, and its Implications on Land Rights especially for women, Food Security and Livelihoods”
Jane Nalunga
2:40 – 3:00 pm
Plenary Discussion
3:00 - 3:45 pm Case studies ULA & VEDCO 3:45 - 4:00 pm Tea break 4:00 - 4:30 pm Discussions :
Gauging the African Union Framework and guidelines on land policy in Africa. Capturing WLR in the National Land Policy development process in Uganda.
Dr. Consolate Kabonesa
4:30 pm End of Day 1 All
PROGRAMMEFOR THE NATIONAL WOMEN LAND RIGHTS CONFERENCE - OCTOBER 2010
DAY I – MONDAY 4th OCTOBER, 2010
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DAY II – TUESDAY 5th OCTOBER, 2010 Time ACTIVITY RESPONSIBLE PERSONS 8:00 - 8:30 am Registration Volunteers
WOMEN AND LAND JUSTICE SESSION CHAIR Mr. Bruce Kyeerere 8:30 – 9:00 am Keynote Address Chief Justice/Deputy CJ
9:00 – 9:20 am Enhancing access to Justice for women Rose Nakaayi 9:20 –9:40 am The role of case law in upholding women’s
land rights Lady Justice Anna Magezi
9:40 - 11:00 am The implications of the provisions of Marriage, Divorce & Separation Laws on Women Land Rights.
Dora Kanabahita Byamukama
11:00 - 11:30 am Tea Hotel 11:30 - 12 :30 Plenary discussion
12:30 - 2:00 pm LUNCH HOTEL SESSION CHAIR Rose Nakayi 2:00 – 2:20 pm THE Role of the Administrator General in
securing women’s rights to land –Experiences and lessons
Miriam Namutebi
2:20 -2:40 pm The Impact of the succession laws on the realization of women’s land rights
Ms. Mary Sonko
2:40 - 3:10 pm Case studies, experience sharing & testimonies
UCOBAC& FIDA
3:10 - 3:40 pm TEA HOTEL 3:40 - 8:00 pm Free Time 8:00 - 10:00 pm Dinner Guest of Honour: The Nabagereka
DAY III – WEDNESDAY 6th OCTOBER, 2010 Time ACTIVITY PRESENTERS RESPONSIBLE
PERSONS 8:00 - 9:00 am Arrival Volunteers
WOMEN IN THE POLITICAL AGENDA SESSION CHAIR Hon. Sheila Kawamala 9:00 - 9:15 am Official opening of the session/Keynote
address
9:15 - 9:40 am Women’s land Rights and Decentralization Livingstone Sewanyana
9:40 - 10:00 am Gender Budgeting Ms. Margaret Kakande 10:00 - 10:30 am How to raise women’s issues on the
Political agenda Hon. Christine Hellen Amongin Aporu
10:30 - 11:00 am TEA HOTEL 11:00 - 11:30 am Political parties manifestos Ms. Patricia Munabi 11:30 - 12:00 pm How government intends to implement
the transitional justice program for Northern Uganda
Racheal Odoi
12:00 - 1.00 pm Plenary Discussion All
1:00 - 2:00 pm Lunch HOTEL
2:00 - 4:00 pm Reading of the Declaration 4:00 - 6:00 Pm Tea & Departure Hotel
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Executive Remarks
The Women’s Land Rights Movement-Uganda welcomes all participants in your various capacities to the National Women’s Land Rights Conference taking place from 4th to 6th
October 2010 at the Speke Resort in Munyonyo Kampala.
We wish to acknowledge the efforts of everyone that contributed in one way or another to make the National Women’s Land Rights Conference a reality.Particular thanks to all our Donor partners who ensured that we had the financial support required to organize such a high profile event. Your usual support is the backbone to our existence.
The staff at the Uganda Land Alliance, the Core organizing team, volunteers, and Members of the Working Group must be commended individually and collectively for a job excellently done. Your contribution to this conference is highly appreciated.
Of course this conference would also not have happened without the women here present from all corners of the country, who have sacrificed their valuable time to spend four days in Kampala for this conference. Be assured that your time has not been in vain because this is the beginning of a huge campaign towards addressing the challenges faced by women over land across the country.
I wish to thank H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Honourable Government Ministers, Honourable Members of Parliament, Members of the Judiciary, the Media, Members from the Academia, colleagues from Civil Society, Ladies and Gentlemen for finding it worthy to attend this National Land Rights Conference, the first of its kind in Uganda. Your continued support towards the Women’s Land Rights Movement is the key to achieve positive returns for women countrywide [and beyond].
To all our dear guests from abroad, you are most welcome. Join us, work with us and let us together make women’s land rights a reality.
The Women’s Land Rights Movement-Uganda will be working tirelessly after the conference to establish an institutional structure with offices and other facilities to support the cause of women particularly in regards to their land rights. Everyone should pick up a role to play to make the dream of the hundreds of women gathered at this conference and the Million others they represent, come true.
Finally I wish you all very fruitful deliberations.
Esther ObaikolCoordinator, Women’s Land Rights Movement-Uganda
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Over the past two years, ULA has increased its activities around women’s
land rights by ensuring that in the National Land Policy and the review of national laws on land, the issues of women stand out prominently.
Despite the successes and the acceptance of integration of these in policy and law, the practice has not changed. Women are still discriminated against in relation to land access, ownership and control.
There is therefore a need to address the issue from a practice change dimension.It is against this realization that ULA invited a group of organizations and Government departments to rethink the women’s land rights question in Uganda in a bid to develop a common agenda and strategy to achieve practice change towards poverty reduction and improved household incomes and nutrition.
The Women’s Land Rights Movement was thus born on the 2nd June 2010 with four Government Ministries (Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal industry and Fisheries, and Ministry of Justice), and 13 Civil Society Organizations working around women’s issues in Uganda. The first and major activity of the Movement is the conference scheduled for October 4th-6th 2010.
The women’s Land Rights Movement – Uganda is holding its first event – the National Women’s Land Rights Conference that will be attended by an estimated 300 participants mostly drawn from the grassroots, the academia, legal institutions, and Government. The Conference will also draw participants from all regions of Uganda, the East African countries, Southern Sudan, South Africa, USA and Asia.
The key objectives of the conference are;
• To raise a common voice for women to enable them demand for the realization and recognition of their rights to land.
• To provide a platform for women from different regions and status to share their challenges and experiences on land;
• Explore advocacy opportunities for practice change; and rejuvenate the women’s movement on land that has a stronghold at the grassroots, spreading its strength to the national level.
• The output of this conference is the minimum demands for women on land in Uganda, which will guide advocacy and the roadmap for the women’s movement in the following year.
After the conference, the Women’s Land Rights Movement will start wide campaigns aimed at ensuring the realization of the key concerns deliberated upon during the conference.
Genesis of the Women’s Land Rights Movement-Uganda
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• Your Excellency the president • The Honourable Ministers present • Members of Parliament • Judges of the courts of judicature • Heads of Civil Society organizations • Members from the Academia • Organizers of this conference • Guest Participants from outside Uganda • Participants from Uganda • Ladies and Gentlemen, each in your respective capacities:
I wish on behalf the Honourable Minister for Lands and on my own behalf, to welcome you all to this important conference on women’s land rights. I must say outright, that this is an important topic that does not only concern the women here present but all women [and men] in this country.
While I appreciate the importance of this conference, I must also note with sadness that we should be gathering in the 21st Century to discuss about equality of rights between men and women, especially over land. Some of the inequalities we are witnessing, have a historical background dating back to the colonial era, but it’s our duty to change the status of events to suit our own times. Considering the enormous role women contribute to our existence, their rights cannot in any way be a point for debate whatsoever.
The NRM Government was the first visionary Government over the years to recognise the rights of women in Uganda, by championing the Women Emancipation campaign. Today, the proceeds of this campaign do not need further elaboration
as you will practically witness during the course of this conference. Looking though the programme for this conference, I can see very powerful women who are going to discuss various topics-some are politicians, others academicians, Heads of institutions, all well learned. I have also been reliably informed that majority, if not all the women participants at this gathering are all not just hailing from the ‘kitchen’ like was the traditional practice, but are either representing grassroots organizations or are privately engaged in various development oriented activities. This is how far we have come, and the effort must be applauded.
As you may be well aware, Government together with other stakeholders is in the final stages of drafting the National Land Policy. The Uganda Land Alliance and other Civil Society representatives participated actively in the critical stages of the drafting process, and I can assure you that women’s land rights concerns were prominently captured. Your participation in this process was a manifestation that Government cannot work in isolation, but needs the contribution of each one of you both collectively and individually.
I know many of you must be wondering whether the good provisions for women’s land rights will be implemented. Before you lose hope, I urge you to appreciate where we have come from, recognise where we are, and work with Government as your main ally to reach where we want to be.
The vision of the NRM of ensuring equal rights for all citizens has been welcomed by many who wish this country well. That’s why each time we have elections,
KEYNOTE SPEECHKEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE STATE MINISTER FOR LANDS, HON. ASUMAN KIYINGI AT THE WOMEN’S LAND RIGHTS CONFERENCE, SPEKE RESORT
MUNYONYO – KAMPALA, 4th-6th October 2010
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Ugandans always vote the NRM. As the 2011 elections draw closer, I believe all of you shall vote the NRM so that we can fulfil the pending programmes.
I am informed that after here, you are launching the Women’s Land Rights Movement. Such a Movement I believe will go a long way in uniting women across the country. By virtue of the fact that already 4 Government ministries are part of the Women’s Movement; this is already confirmation that Government appreciates your effort. Count on us, and we shall offer you all the support and good will you need.
With these few words, I take the honour to wish you the very best of deliberations during this conference. Please do share your resolutions with us after the conference and we shall take the necessary actions. To our dear guests from abroad, do not leave without touring Kampala. Feel at home, enjoy the best weather and hospitality, and please come again.
I thank you.
When God is sidelined- Sera recounts her painful ordeal
Mbale: ‘I was cooking sweet potatoes; he poured the food down and put the sauce pans on the vehicle. He took all the things we had in the house. I was left high and dry! And yet we had been married for 41 years! Later, I learnt that he had sold the piece of land!’
Sera, 69 lives in Mbale District. She and her husband had fifteen children, four of whom are dead. Sera is a small-holder farmer. She grows maize, beans, millet, potatoes and cassava mainly for home consumption. She has one goat, and three local chicken. She has no income and depends wholly on her working children for provision of basic domestic necessities.Sera recounts that her ex-husband, a policeman, worked in different parts of Uganda until 1983 when he retired. “After his retirement, we bought land which we lived on for over 23 years. I improved the land quite a lot. I planted trees, coffee, beans, maize and bananas. During this time, my husband used to stay at home because he was too sick to work”.
CASE STUDIES
In 1992, Sera’s husband became a Bible teacher at the Church. “One day he came home and sold all the coffee I had harvested without my knowledge. I had gone to the well to fetch water. Worse still, I did not know what he did with the money. I told the other “Balokole” about it. He got annoyed and beat me up badly. Then he bought a plot of land and left me with the children. Because he was sick, I followed and started living with him”. In 1993, my daughter bought land at in another village and constructed a house. This is the house you see now”, she says.
The turning point in Sera’s life, however, came early this year when her husband came home in a lorry shouting “pack up all the things and we go”. Sera says: “I did not know what to say because we had never discussed this. She adds, “I was cooking sweet potatoes; he poured the food down and put the sauce pans on the vehicle. He took all the things we had in the house. I was left high and dry! And yet we had been married for 41 years!“Later, I learnt that he had sold the piece of land which we had bought when he retired at only 2 million shillings. Imagine 8 acres of land for only 2 million! Worse still, the
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people who bought the land cut down all the trees and the bananas, beans, maize and groundnuts which I had worked so hard to plant”. When I saw all this, I said: “God we did not steal this land, we got it through hard work. My husband vowed on our wedding day that I have given you all that I have. I have handed this problem to God. It is too much for me. It pricks my heart to remember this land which I worked for 23 years! I could neither eat nor sleep and I became very thin - as thin as a stalk. I could easily be blown by the wind”.“After two sleepless nights, I went to the church to inform them about my situation. They were very sorry for me. The Bishop’s wife gave me a saucepan and a basin. The next day I went to the police station. When I told them that we had 11 children, they advised me to settle the matter out of court so that we continue looking after the children”.“Having received no proper support from the church and the police, I went to the Land Tribunal and FIDA. It was the same story; I therefore decided not to consult the local council because it would be a waste of time”Finally Sera says if she had the opportunity to meet the President, she would say this: when husband and wife are buying land, they decide together. The President should ensure that before a man sells land; his wife should consent to it first”.
Abandoned in IDP Camp for a new catch- Atim tells her story
Amuru IDP camp: Her husband picked up another wife, and divorced Atim, leaving her in total disillusion in Amuru camp. Meanwhile, as a reward for his actions, the man’s in-laws offered him a piece of land in Giragira village, where he lives with his “new catch”!
At the age of 18, Atim lived as a single girl on 1 Acre of land given to her by her parents located in Toro Camboo, Amoro Sub County.
However, when the insurgency of the Lord’s Resistance Army heightened, Alice, like many others, was forced to flee into disarray for dear life. She ended up in Amuru camp, where she has lived since 1994.
While in the camp, Alice fell in love with a man, and they married him traditionally. His name is Akera Jacob. They lived together in the camp, and have six [6] children: Aber Proscovia (16), Omona Richard (13), Achiro Nancy (11), Tekwo Sande (7), Anywar Maurice (4), and the little one only named Onegiwu (1). I met 4 of them on my visit, and the only word I could read on their faces was; “The future is blurred”.
About a year ago, Atim’s husband who had by now started drinking himself stupid, turned into a total monster. He battered her daily, save for the fact that he was not even providing the family’s basic necessities for survival. He picked up another wife, and divorced Atim, leaving her in total disillusion in Amuru camp. Meanwhile, as a reward for his actions, the man’s in-laws offered him a piece of land in Giragira village, where he lives with his “new catch”!
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Now, as other Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) continue to return to their former homes, Atim does not know where to go. She had offered her 1Acre of land to her four brothers who presently live on it together with their relatively big families. Atim offered the land in good faith and total sympathy for her siblings, and cannot attempt to reclaim the land from them as this would provide recipe for conflict.
Atim cannot even think of returning to her parents because in Acholi culture, it is abominable for a married woman to return to her parents’ home on account of divorce. Women are always required to ‘hand in there’!!! Besides, to show that children of a divorced wife are rejects, they are often given a nick name “Lutino luk”, which is summed up to mean disgrace.
Today, the owner of the camp land has given Atim and others an ultimatum to vacate the camp, as he plans to utilize his land for other productive activities. Atim did not want to squeeze herself on her former land together with her brothers, but as things stand, she’s been left with no option. Even then, she has no idea how to secure money to construct a moderate hut to house her dejected family of 7.
As narrated to Tumusiime K. Deo
When the blind woman was robbed of her land…
Amoyokoma village: Esther Aciro Epicu (70), a blind widow and mother of 6 from Amuru district now left with three (3) and nine (9) grand children, owned a 60-acres piece of land that her late husband left her with in Amoyokoma village, Pagak parish in Amuru Sub-county. However, in her own testimony, “Two years later and one day, I just learnt that three meetings were held
about my land to be given to the Amuru Town Council. The people who attended the meetings were Mr. Obwoya Maoransio, Acaye Daniel, Otto Kitara and Elgino Openy and I was told that in the meeting at the office of the Town Clerk, they claimed that I did not own a piece of land in Amoyokoma and that I had a piece of land in Olik-my parent’s place.”
Esther adds that in the next meeting she was invited to attend. It was then that she learnt of an already existing agreement with the office of the Town Clerk through the area LC II Mr. Nono. The land grabbers had conspired with Kinyera Simon and Odur Cija-her grandsons, and she was supposed to only append her signature. As she was being forced to thumbprint on the documents, she begun to cry, then some people helped her to call the LC III Chairman to come to her rescue. To make matters worse, when the Chairman LC II Came the next morning, he only attempted to convince her to admit the terms and conditions in the agreement taking advantage of her blindness.
Esther says that later the Chairman LC III helped to take her to Court and got her a lawyer (Donge and Co. advocates) on realizing that she was left with only a plot. Donge and Co. advocates begun helping her but it wasn’t long before the lawyers were also compromised further making the blind woman’s life more miserable.
According to Aciro Esther Epicu, poverty and vulnerability is the worst form of violence anyone can ever face.
Profile compiled by David Komakech
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How Florence escaped the pangs of a “crocodile”
Kampala: While it may be said that unmarried women ‘suffer due to failure to legalize their marriages’, experience indicates that even officially married women
are denied rights to land due to the patriarchal family arrangement in most parts of Uganda. Like in the case of Mrs. Arorwa, an insurance broker, and resident of Namugongo an
Urban area 20kms from Kampala city: Together with her husband, they struggled to secure bank loans to purchase a piece of land, and build a residential house, but registered the properties in the husband’s names as head of the household. As is the trend in many families, when the marriage went sour, Mr. Arorwa got a mistress, and decided to mortgage the house without the official wife’s consent. For fear of “insubordination”, Mrs. Arorwa chose not to pursue a court case against the husband but her suffering only took an uglier turn when Mr. Arorwa sought to evict her from the house altogether.
Mrs. Arorwa’s situation was only abated when a lawyer friend, Mrs. Kaweesi helped her lodge a caveat on the property under Section 39 of the Land Act, which permits spouses not being the owners of land to lodge caveats on the certificate of title barring any transactions on land without the consent of the spouse. Mr. Arorwa was then taken to the police station where an agreement was reached that he would pay child support and leave Mrs. Arorwa with the house lest the law would catch up with him. He committed to this in writing and at this point, Mrs. Arorwa was saved from the “jaws of a crocodile”.
Experience at the frontline of Women’s Land Rights Advocacy
By Maxensia Nakibuuka Takirambule
Kampala: “In my own experience I have identified that at community/grassroots levels, especially among the urban poor, formal legal systems are not accessible for most vulnerable groups”
Maxensia is the founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Lungujja Community Health Caring Organization (LUCOHECO) a n o n - g o v e r n m e n t o r g a n i z a t i o n committed to improving the lives of
community members through subsidized healthcare and other social services. This project provides awareness on diseases, primary healthcare support, land rights guidance, treatment and advocacy on human rights, especially for those infected with or affected by HIV/AIDS.
She observes that for example when women lose their spouses, many are ignorant of the existing legal provisions for their protection. Their status as first wives or the mere fact that they have mature children does not seem to always work in their favor as many have lost their properties.
Other wives due to some cultural beliefs think they shouldn’t own any property, land or housing so they leave it to their husbands to decide in whose names the property should be registered. This, coupled with fear of intimidation by the bureaucracies involved in the formal justice system, often
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suffocates the widows, and their matters remain unresolved for many years if at all.
A message to the fellow marginalized citizens of this country: Each one of you should always carry our burdens cautiously however heavy they might be, until nightfall. We should avoid bad thinking because it leads to tension and nervous breakdown, but good thinking deals with causes and effects and it leads to logical and constructive planning-never give up. I urge that we should always pray to God to grant us the serenity to accept things we cannot change, the courage to change things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Our government, policy makers, legislators and dear nationals, has each one of you ever thought about people who are suffering and others being deprived of their rights? Because there is a wide gap between us and others! Please come to our rescue by devising programmes for the minorities, revisit laws and norms that oppress the vulnerable. Remember that the underprivileged also have a right to life and well being too.
To the church leaders, time is now to put the Gospel into practice for the many believers suffering from different problems and need spiritual counseling in a holistic manner. Let us all be good Samaritans.
Civil Society and our development partners, to you we raise our voices for continued support to enable us sustain our lives and families. We are socially and economically incapacitated with the meager resources in our developing country Uganda, shattered by poverty, corruption and wars.
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A Sociologist and Educationist by training, Professor Opolot is. He is
currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Basic Research (CBR), Kololo, Kampala and the Academic Registrar and Senior Lecturer at the Uganda Pentecostal University, Fort Portal Uganda. Prof. Opolot has extensive experience in basic and action research with interests in human rights based approaches to development (HRBD) focusing on equitable social and governance policy issues in relation to gender and development, poverty reduction, health and HIV/AIDS and democratisation. He was recently elected a member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Management of the Uganda Management Institute, Kampala.
Professor Samson James Opolot:
Presenter: Impact of culture on Women’s ownership and Access to land
Sarah Mujabi-Mujuzi
Presenter: Impact of Land grabbing and Commercialization of land on women’s security of tenure.
PRESENTER BIOGRAPHIES
Sarah is an agriculturalist and a community development worker. She
graduated with a Master of Animal Sciences of Makerere University, and later a Master of
Dr. Josephine Ahikire:
Presenter: Effects of a Decentralized Land Framework on Tenure Security for Women
A Senior lecturer at the Department of Women and Gender Studies, Makerere
University and also a senior research fellow at Centre for Basic Research, Kampala. Ahikire has worked in the area of feminist political theory and has extensively published works on Politics, labour and cultural studies. She has led various research teams on elections, politics of Access and many other areas connected with livelihood and social justice. Her recent publication is a book entitled: Localised or Localising Democracy: Gender and the Politics of Decentralisation in Contemporary Uganda, by Fountain Publishers Kampala, Uganda (2007). Ahikire is an active member of the Uganda Women’s Movement and is also member of regional bodies such as Council for Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) and African Gender Institute (AGI). She is currently the Executive Director of Centre for Basic Research.
Science in Natural Resources Management of the Agricultural University of Norway. Sarah has been a Lecturer in Bukalasa Agricultural College and for the last 5 years a field team and Fundraising Manager for a prominent local NGO in Uganda, working with livelihoods improvement of small and medium holder farmers through agriculture. Sarah has made a string of publications in the field of agro-production, agro-based national and international trade, policy and land grabbing in relation to the plight of small holder women and men farmers of Uganda.
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Rose Nakayi
Presenter: Enhancing access to Justice for women
Ms. Rose Nakayi is an Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Law
Makerere University since 2002. During this period, her duties have included teaching and researching various areas of the Law, but mainly Land Law. Other than that, her past research has been done
Elizabeth Kharono
Presenter: Food security, livelihood and Women’s Land Rights: What if Women gave up?
CLEAR-Uganda is engaged in an action research process to add impetus to
efforts to increase household food security through local action in Mbale district to achieve MDG 1 by 2015. She has been an active member of the women’s movement, generally, and the women’s land rights research and advocacy for over ten years. Was lead consultant in the 1997 Women’s Land Rights research which highlighted women’s interests in land for incorporation in the 1998 Land Act. Amongst the researches she has done is a comparative study of women’s land rights and its impact of agricultural productivity in Lira and Mbale districts, which was done under the auspices of the FAO.
Dr. Consolata Kabonesa is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department
of Women and Gender Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala Uganda. Dr. Kabonesa teaches a wide range of courses that focus on human rights, peace and conflict transformation
Dr. Consolata Kabonesa
Presenter: Gauging the African Union Framework and guidelines on land policy in Africa. Capturing WLR in the National Land Policy development process in Uganda.
from a gender perspective; gender focused research methodology, theoretical perspectives on women and gender, and gender and social representation.
She has thirteen ten years of experience as a gender analyst and researcher, gender trainer, and facilitator in areas of gender, land, health, employment and human rights. Areas of research interest include gender, human rights and conflict transformation; gender employment rights for women, gender and health particularly HIV/AIDS, gender and land tenure systems in Uganda and their effects on women’s productivity,
She attained a Ph.D. in Human and Community Development with a minor in Gender Roles in International Development (multidisciplinary studies in Social Sciences), and MS in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA; MA in English and American Literature and Higher Diploma in Education from University College Dublin, Ireland; and BA in Liberal Arts from Stonehill College, Massachusetts, USA.
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while consulting for Organizations like: The Forest Peoples’ Land Rights (London), The Center for Constitutionalism (Kituo Cha Katiba), Amnesty International, etc. She was Project Coordinator of the Uganda Coalition for the International Criminal Court (UCICC), at Human Rights Network Uganda (HURINET- U) from February to June of 2008.
At this task, she implemen ted projects to do with raising awareness on the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and human rights in the context of armed conflict mainly in northern Uganda. Prior to this, Ms. Nakayi was involved in administration at the Faculty of Law, as Co-coordinator of the LL.M program in Human Rights and Democratization in Africa run by the University of Pretoria (South Africa) in partnership with over four others in Africa including Makerere. Ms. Nakayi took part in a fellowship program of the International Center for Transitional Justice based in New York, conducted in Cape Town South Africa in 2007. She also won the prestigious Fulbright scholarship from 2008 through 2010 to pursue doctoral research.
Ms. Nakayi is an advocate. She holds an LL.B from Makerere University and a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Center in Kampala obtained in 1999 and 2001 respectively. She has an LL.M degree from Clare Hall, University of Cambridge (U.K) which she acquired in the year 2001. Currently, Ms. Nakayi is pursuing a doctorate at Notre Dame Law School in Indiana, USA. Her doctoral research concerns the dynamics of land rights in the “customary space” in northern Uganda in the milieu of the ongoing transition from armed conflict to peace.
Lady Justice Anna Magezi
Presenter: The role of case law in upholding women’s land rights
She started work in 1970 at the Attorney General’s Chambers in Uganda where
she served as a State Attorney working in Administrator General’s Office. She was transferred to the Judiciary to administer justice as a grade one Magistrate and Chief Magistrate. She subsequently became a judge in the Industrial Court of Uganda where she served for 10years while settling labour disputes. She also chaired the Labour Law Committee which championed Labour Law review culminating into the existing Labour Laws in Uganda. In 1980, she was appointed a High Court Judge where she worked in Civil, Family, Criminal and Land Divisions. She participated in the founding of the Land Users Committee which enhances active participation of stakeholders with land disputes.
Anna Magezi graduated as a Barrister at Law and was called to the English Bar at Lincoln Inn London in 1970. In 2009, she obtained a Masters Degree from Utrecht University NL where she specialized in International Law. In between she has attended short courses on Women in Development at Sussex University, in the UK and also at other places in the USA.
As a woman activist, she was a founder member of the Uganda chapter of FIDA (The Federation of Women Lawyers), the Magistrates Association and Chairperson of the Judges Association of Uganda which held a successful International Women Judges Conference in Uganda during her tenure as Chairperson. In June, 2010, she was privileged to attend a Reconciliation and Mediation Course at RIPA in England
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Hon. Dora Christine Kanabahita Byamukama
Presenter: The implications of the provisions of Marriage, Divorce & Separation Laws on Women Land Rights.
which opportunity enhanced her desire to promote Alternative Dispute Resolution in Land matters as well as other disputes in order to access justice to all and especially the vulnerable such as women.
Professional Skills: Dora is a highly experienced Advocate; with a Masters
Degree in Law from Georgetown University-USA, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Center-Kampala and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Makerere University-Kampala.She is a 1996/7 Fellow of the Women and Public Policy Fellowship Program and participated in the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA) Fellowship Program located at Georgetown University-USA.
Politics: Dora is a Member of the East African Legislative Assembly for the period 2007-2012; representing the Republic of Uganda in this Regional Parliament. She currently serves on the House Business Committee which is in charge of the management and administration of EALA, and on the Accounts and Rules and Privileges Committees. She is also the Secretary General of EALA Women’s Forum.Dora is a member of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) National Disciplinary Committee, in charge of the ruling party discipline.From 2001-2006 she served as a directly elected Member of Parliament of the
Republic of Uganda; for Mwenge County South, Kyenjojo District, Tooro Kingdom. During her tenure as Member of Parliament, she served on the Select Committee on Election Violence; and chaired Committees on - Legal and Parliamentary Affairs; Equal Opportunities and a Select Committee on Industrial Relations.
International Consultant And Expert: Dora has worked as a Consultant to World Bank, UNFPA, UNDP, PriceWaterHouseCoopers and UNIFEM on various topics:- these include, “Delivery of Justice in Decentralized Arrangements”; the impact of culture on women’s rights; women’s land rights; sexual and gender based violence, women’s reproductive rights, labour rights and micro-finance.Dora also worked as an Expert for Club of Madrid on the African Women Leaders Project. The Club of Madrid is an organization comprising more than 70 democratic former Heads of States and Governments from 50 countries. Its African Women Leaders Project provided support to high level women leaders in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Uganda. She also currently works as a United Nations Expert on Female Genital Mutilation and Violence Against Women.
International Representative: Dora is a nominee of 2009 Class of GlobalPOWER [Partnership of Women Elected/Appointed Representatives] which entity creates sustainable, long-term partnership among a select group of elected women leaders from around the world. She is also part of the Global Women’s Rights Network.She also serves at Vice Chair on the E-Parliament Council, where she represents the Africa Region. The E-Parliament is a Forum that links legislators and citizens together worldwide to help solve issues on climate change, energy and democracy.Dora is President of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) Alumni Association.
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Women’s Rights Activist: Dora’s women’s rights activism spans a period of over 20 years. She is a prolific writer and has written several newspaper and academic articles on women’s rights. She has also made numerous presentations on gender budgeting; women’s political, economic and social rights and advocated and drafted several laws that promote women’s rights. These, include laws on - on establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Sexual Harassment in the World of Work, Persons With Disability, Trafficking in Persons Bill, Female Genital Mutilation, succession, marriage, divorce and separation, land ownership, labour laws, micro-finance and reproductive health.
Strategic Litigator: Dora has courageously and successfully used strategic litigation to challenge laws and practices that discriminate against women by petitioning the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uganda. Strategic Litigation serves to ensure that laws are in conformity with human rights principles enshrined in international legal instruments and the Uganda Constitution. It thus provides direction for Parliament in the law making process and contributes to judicial precedents. Laws and practices challenged include the Divorce Act; Succession Act; the Penal Code Act on Criminal Adultery and the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. Strategic litigation has been executed under Law and Advocacy for Women in Uganda (LAW-Uganda) – for which Dora serves as a Director and co-founded with Kulsum Wakabi (RIP) in 1997.
Civil Society Organizations: Dora has served in the leadership of several vibrant Civil Society Organizations such as the Uganda Association of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Uganda), Uganda Women Parliamentarians Association (UWOPA) ; Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) and The Human Rights Network (HURINET).
Mary Ssonko Nabacwa is a Senior Lecturer at Uganda Christian
University, Mukono. She holds a Doctorate in Development Studies of the University of Wales, Swansea, UK. Her doctorate focused on interests and relationships among gender focused NGOs with special focus on Ugandan NGOs. She holds a Masters of Arts, Women Studies degree of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda as well as a Bachelor of Arts, Social Sciences degree of Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Mary has worked as a lecturer, researcher and advisor on development issues especially in relation to gender and development. She has written a number of papers and publications.
Mary has worked with key international development organisations such as World Vision International Uganda and ActionAid Uganda. She has undertaken a number of research projects on gender and women land rights, the projects including: Statutory laws and the realisation of women’s property rights, a case of the office of the administrator general funded by Uganda Land Alliance; Emerging land related issues in the Acholi sub-region; northern Uganda funded by Makerere Institute of Social Research; Interests and Relationships in NGO gender advocacy: A case of Uganda – doctoral thesis, University of Wales Swansea, Centre for Development Studies and Policies and practices towards women’s empowerment: Policy Advocacy by gender focused NGOs and the realities of grassroots women in Uganda funded by Action Aid Uganda.
MARY SSONKO NABACWA (PhD.)
Presenter: The Impact of the succession laws on the realization of women’s land rights
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As an international human rights lawyer, he has engaged in a vast array of
activities in advocacy and training. He has previously served as the Deputy Secretary General of Penal Reform International, as a member of the International Advisory Council, HURIDOC, in Switzerland and currently serves on several boards. He has completed several consulting assignments in the areas of election monitoring, advocacy for policy change, organizational development and human rights training for several organizations including the United Nations Elections Monitoring Group in Malawi, Human Rights Network’s trainings in Sierra Leone, the Danish Centre for Human Rights training in Human Rights Procedures in Vietnam and the World Bank’s country cooperation strategy in Uganda.
Mr. Sewanyana holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (Hons) from Makerere University, a Master of Laws degree in International
Livingstone Sewanyana
Presenter: Women’s land Rights and Decentralisation
Mary has theoretical knowledge on a number of development issues including the following: lobbying and advocacy; civil society and development policy; development policy and planning; gender and development; the state and development; civil society networks; inter-agency (donors, government and civil society) relations; co-ordination of international and national NGO development programmes; community development; research methods in development among others.
Human Rights Law-with distinction from the University of Essex (UK) and a diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Centre. He is currently pursuing his PHD in the University of Cape Town in South Africa.
Over 14 years as Poverty Analyst in Ministry of Finance, Planning and
Economic Development. Among other duties, Margaret spearheaded the process of mainstreaming gender into the Poverty Eradication Action Plans. Since 2004 she has led the process of gender and equity budgeting in government at the national level. Margaret has also written and published widely; and conducted consultancy work for various national and international organizations.
2008- Present: Head-Budget Monitoring and Accountability Unit, Ministry of Finance
1996-2008: Head- Poverty Monitoring and Analysis Unit, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
1992-1995: Social policy Advisor, Programme for Alleviation of Poverty and Social costs of Adjustment (PAPSCA)
1991-1992: Social Infrastructure Economist, Project Monitoring and Evaluation Unit, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
Margaret Kakande
Presenter: Gender Budgeting
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1989-1991: Ag Associate Director, Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics
Currently, a member of various bodies: Chair of the Advisory group to the International Chronic Poverty Centre, Manchester University; Chair of Council for Economic Empowerment of women (CEEWA)–Uganda Chapter; President of the Uganda Evaluation Association; Board member for the Centre for Women in Governance (CEWIGO); AT Uganda; and the Energy Development Network-Uganda.
Margaret holds a Bachelor of Statistics (Makerere University); MA Development Economics (University of East Anglia, UK); Post Graduate Diploma in Feminist Economics ( ISS-The Hague-Netherlands).
She is responsible for the implementation of the Sector’s strategic investment
plan and overseeing the reform processes in reference to these two focus areas. She is also currently the coordinator of the Sector’s Transitional Justice processes under the Transitional Justice Working Group.Ms. Odoi-Musoke is a holder of Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University and a Master of Laws from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has previously worked in the areas of human rights focusing on socio-economic rights and on environmental law as well as practicing as an Advocate.
Rachel Odoi Musoke
Presenter: How government intends to implement the transitional justice program for Northern Uganda
A cry for women’s Land Rights
By: Esther Obaikol
For decades we have left the issue of women’s security of tenure at the mercy of our clans, brothers, fathers, uncles, in-laws. Generation after generation, we have blamed culture, tradition and customs for our plight.
We live in poverty not because we cannot produce enough but because we do not control what we produce.
We cannot afford better health and education for our own children not because we do not have the capacity to deliver this, but because we do not control the proceeds of our labour and make decisions on our fields to enhance on household development.
We have been kept at the back of the debates on land not because we do not know what to say, but because they will not let us say.
We are threatened with divorce, death and violence- a threat that is so engrained in our minds and lives that we can only own land through our sons and brothers. Despite the many international treaties and the constitutional provisions on equality between men and women, security of tenure for women has remained elusive.
We have lost confidence in who we are. The commonly cited statistics of 16% women own land 80% and producers have become rhetoric.
A new day has come for women in Uganda not as secondary citizens but as primary citizens of this country, land forms part of one’s identity and heritage. No longer do we
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want our land rights to be kept in the private domain only accessing it through marriage or male relatives making us secondary owners and thus less than citizens but to bring us to the public domain where we share at the same table as citizens’ equal in status with men.
Women’s rights to land are human rights and must be recognised as such. Substantive land reforms that boldly provide for equality not in access but in ownership and control of land by men and women stands out key for us. This equality should extend to customary tenure which forms over 80% of land in Uganda and where most of us live.
Women’s land Rights are Human Rights and we need not make further justification.We, the women in Uganda are not going to continue burying our heads in the sand. We are claiming rightfully what belongs to us. We must be recognised as citizens with equal rights as men, this equality not being of outcomes but equality of Rights, resources and voice. We stand up united with one voice as citizens of this country. Our land, our dignity.
MEMBERS OF THE WOMEN'S LAND RIGHTS MOVEMENT WORKING GROUPName E-mail Phone Organization District
6 Elizabeth Kharono [email protected] 712651673 CLEAR Mbale
2 Anna Magezi (Justice) [email protected] 752700777 High Court Kampala
4 Debra Musuya [email protected] 757994353 Clear Mbale
7 Emmanuel Kabishanga [email protected] 712717105 New Horizons Kampala
8 Esther Obaikol [email protected] 414540048 ULA Kampala
9 Elizabeth Nahamya (Justice) 777336024 War Crimes Kampala
5 Deborah Gasana [email protected] 774370115 ULS Kampala
1 Agnes Kirabo [email protected] 772564951 VEDCO Kampala
3 Annet Kabarungi [email protected] 703205353 Min. of Gender Kampala
18 Miriam Ismail [email protected] 713839925 BAHAI Kampala
20 Santino Dramani [email protected] 752658296 Min. Lands Kampala
14 Justice Anna Magezi [email protected] 752700777 High Court Kampala
10 Federice Nshemereirwe [email protected] 772387928 Min. Agriculture Kampala
17 Maria Gorette Karuhanga [email protected] 772883232 FIDA Kampala
11 Frances Birungi [email protected] 772926214 UCOBAC Kampala
15 Justine Kyarikunda [email protected] 782705488 NAWOU Kampala
12 Ignatius Oloyi [email protected] 703042950 LEMU Kampala
13 Judy Adoko [email protected] 703042950 LEMU Kampala
16 J.S Mpagi [email protected] 772516980 Min. of Gender Kampala
19 Monica Birungi [email protected] 712121094 ULS Kampala
21 Sophie Kyagulanyi [email protected] 414510016 Action Aid Kampala
22 Laureen Karayi [email protected] 775555478 UWONET Kampala
23 Tumusiime K. Deo [email protected] 712075721 ULA Kampala
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Action Aid Uganda41-4-510016
Uganda Land alliance41-4-540048
FIDA41-4-530848
LEMU77-2-856212
CLEAR75-7-994353
VEDCO41-4-270598
New Horizons71-2-717105
Bahai Faith772401109
Legal Aid [email protected]
NAWOU41-4-258463
UWONET41-4-286539
Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development
Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development
Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs
Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry & Fisheries
Contacts & logos of pioneer member organizations
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Coordinating OfficeBlock 29, Plot 1521 Mawanda Road, Kamwokya,
P. O. Box 26990 Kampala, Tel: +256-414-540048 Fax: +256-414-540038
Email: [email protected]