HRCU WEEKLY UPDATE: ISSUE NO. 29 OF 2022
THE HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE UGANDA
(HRCU)
WEEKLY UPDATE ON COVID-19 AND KEY
EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES WITHIN THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT OF HRDS IN UGANDA
THE WEEK OF 8TH TO 14TH
AUGUST, 2022
Dear
reader,
Welcome to a new week!
Please receive and read through this week’s updates on
the key emerging human rights issues within the working environment of HRDs
across Uganda compiled from last week.
Let’s begin our updates by welcoming back all HRDs,
regional and international agencies, and organizations such as the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from commemorations
to observe the International Youth Day 2022 which took place on Friday, August 12,
2022.
Nationally, key Civil Society Organizations also observed
the day with statements that included calling on the government plans to prioritize the youth
and also closely involve them at all levels.
KEY EMERGING HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
A CALL FOR THE PROTECTION AND
PROMOTION OF RIGHTS: RESPECT RIGHTS OF UGANDANS, MUSEVENI
TELLS NEW JUDGES
President Museveni asked judges to respect the
constitutional rights of Ugandans. The President made the remarks on August 11,
2022, at State House Entebbe where he presided over the swearing-in ceremony of
18 newly-appointed judges of the High Court as well as the new head of the
commercial court and the head of the High court.
Mr. Museveni said the historical justice of the
National Resistance Movement (NRM) has been largely a pro-people concept that
is linked with the African tribal way which never compromised on justice and
appealed to the judiciary in the country never in any situation relent or
compromise when administering justice to Ugandans.
He said there should be full accountability for all
offenders, especially the capital offenders if the judicial system in the
country is to serve its purpose and be of use to the people.
“The rights of
our people are supreme and can never be compromised and full accountability
must be there, especially the capital offenders,” Mr Museveni said.
He added: “The
concept of bail for capital offenders was causing us problems because the
security forces and the population were getting agitated as courts were
releasing well-known and seasoned capital offenders”.
Source and details: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/respect-rights-of-ugandans-museveni-tells-new-judges-3912094
LABOUR EXPORT AND THE NEED TO RESPECT WORKERS’ RIGHTS: WOMEN MPS ASK GOVT TO PROTECT GIRLS WORKING ABROAD
Women leaders raised alarm over the continued abuse
of girls working abroad and asked the government to regulate labour companies.
While meeting women MPs on the Parliamentary
Committee of Gender, officials from the Equal Opportunity Commission (EOC) said
they sought to exchange ideas on how to regulate exportation of labour,
especially for girls.
“We want to
make the working conditions of Ugandans abroad better because it may not be
very easy to stop them from going abroad but we want favorable working
condition so that they can earn an income and prosper,” Ms Safiya
Nalule, the EOC chairperson, said on August 10, 2022.
Ms Nalule called for a stakeholders meeting with the
Gender ministry and exportation companies to create guidelines to ensure
favourable working conditions. The chairperson of the Parliamentary
Committee on Gender, Ms Flavia Kabahenda Rwabuhoro, said they have
embarked on creating strict regulations to protect Ugandans working abroad.
Mr Martin Wandera, the director of Labour, Employment and Occupational Safety and Health, said one of the objectives of the Labour externalisation Regulation, 2005, is to secure the best possible terms and conditions of employment for Ugandans who want to work abroad.
THE
RIGHT TO A FAIR HEARING/TRIAL: MABIRIZI PETITIONS COURT AGAIN TO HALT TRIAL
AGAINST MPS SSEGIRINYA, SSEWANYANA
Jailed lawyer Male Mabirizi petitioned the
International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High court seeking to halt the
hearing of the case in which Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya and
his Makindye West counterpart Allan Ssewanyana are accused of murder and
terrorism-related charges.
Mabirizi wants the pre-trial hearing halted until
the determination of his constitutional petition challenging the legality of
the charges against the legislators and five others. The others are Jackson
Kanyike, John Mugerwa, Bull Wamala, Mike Sserwadda, and Jude Muwonge.
On November 21, 2021, Masaka Chief Magistrate's
court committed the group to face trial in the High court on a string of
charges including murder, attempted murder, aiding, and abetting terrorism. The
charges stem from their alleged involvement in the greater Masaka machete
killings which occurred between March and June 2021, and claimed the lives of
more than 20 people and left scores injured.
In his application before the ICD, Mabirizi contends
that the petition in question came up for hearing on June 16, 2022, but it was
not heard. He argues that this was because two members of the panel
disqualified themselves from presiding over the matter and the court promised
to re-fix it soon as possible.
According to Mabirizi, his petition raises serious issues that require
interpretation by the Constitutional court, and there is a threat
of conducting the trial proceedings before the determination of the
petition since the criminal matter is now at the pretrial stage.
Source and details: https://observer.ug/news/headlines/74732-mabirizi-petitions-court-again-to-halt-trial-against-mps-ssegirinya-ssewanyana
KENYA GENERAL ELECTIONS 2022: OBSERVERS LAUD KENYA FOR INCREASED NUMBER OF WOMEN IN POLLS
More
women ran for office, and won, in the just concluded Kenyan General Election
compared to the previous ones, a result of efforts by state agencies working
together to improve enabling political environment for female candidates.
By
Saturday August 13, 2022, at least seven counties, of the 47, had elected
female governors, an improvement from the expiring term where four counties
were led by female governors. Official results also showed that 22 women, out
of the confirmed results for 108 seats, had been elected. Seven of them had won
back their seats. This tally excludes the 47 seats allocated
to women contenders only, and whose holders are known as Woman Representatives.
A
preliminary report by the joint observation mission of the International Republican
Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) have lauded the
changes that have seen political parties field more women candidates in this
year’s election.
Source: https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/women-in-kenya-election-3913378
CONCLUDING REMARKS
1. Remarks by President Museveni
calling on the newly appointed judges to protect and promote fundamental rights
and freedoms of Ugandans, are very vital remarks that reecho the role of
judges in dispensing justice and ensuring the full enjoyment of constitutional
rights by citizens. When judges make equitable, fair, and human rights-based decisions, they set a valuable precedent for the future resolution of human
rights abuses and violations between individuals or between the State. In
addition, judicial processes further provide for effective implementation of
the law, which exclusively aims at protecting fundamental human rights and
freedoms, and sets a standard for the unprejudiced enforcement of the law which
in the end guarantees effective protection and realization of human rights.
2. HRCU would like to join and commend CSOs and the world at large for marking this year’s International Youth Day 2022. Whereas the country postponed the celebrations to August 26, it’s important that the government of Uganda fortifies the full protection and promotion of the rights of young people and effects the current strategies aimed at addressing some of the resounding challenges/issues faced by young people which among include; discrimination- majorly based on their age, unemployment, lack of education among others. In addition, the government through its current program of the Parish Development Model (PDM) should exclusively involve young people so that they greatly benefit from it and by doing so, young people are elevated from poverty and unemployment.
We wish you a happy new week!
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