Kadaga dares Among on CEC battle

THE HOUSE 

The first Deputy Prime Minister and minister for East African Community (EAC) affairs, Rebecca Kadaga, was recently honoured with the prestigious Africa Women’s Good Governance Award for her exemplary leadership. 

In an interview with Nelson Mandela Muhoozi, the Kamuli Woman MP, who is also the former Speaker of Parliament, opens up on life and the impending battle for the Central Executive Committee position within the ruling National Resistance Movement.

Q: Congratulations upon receiving the African Award for Good Governance in Marrakesh, Morocco. What does this recognition mean to you and the journey to gender parity in Uganda?

A: Thank you! I just found myself being invited. At first when I was invited, I did not take it seriously. I thought it was people trying to scam me, but then they wrote over three letters before I responded and they said they wanted to confer an award on me and explained that they had covered my background and my leadership and governance journey and had decided to confer on me an award. 

But when I got to Morocco, I found that this was the third edition of the awards. There are a number of people who have been identified and given this award before. But in my category, I am the first Ugandan to get the Good Governance Award. Although this award was personally given to me, I think that it is for the whole country and represents the country’s good governance initiatives.

What is your assessment of the gender parity journey in the country? 

First of all, I am a Girl Guide. And the skills they teach you during scouting and guiding have helped me to focus my life. I was the first Ugandan woman to open law chambers. And it was a bold step, because no one had done it before. 

But it was because for some time, I was working for senior lawyers and doing more of the donkey work and being paid peanuts. Then I said: “Why can’t I do this for myself?”

Then, I processed my certificate of practice, and I started. It was a very bold step, but very courageous because I went into the unknown and I did not know what the future would hold. 

But I took it on and it is work I really used to enjoy before I came to this political side. Definitely many people were inspired after me and joined the practice. Justice Christine Kitumba came into the practice and then, Justice Irene Mulyagonja and others.

What moments stand out as pivotal in shaping your leadership path?

I think one of the areas I have not talked about is my other work in the community. Part of the celebration of this good governance award has something to do with my work with FIDA Uganda (Uganda Association of Women Lawyers). 

This is where my public life began, when my colleagues and I established the first legal aid clinic in Uganda in 1988. It was a bold step, because this was a new thing and we did not have enough resources, but we had passion and commitment. 

We started in a small leaking room. It was mainly established to help ordinary women that could not afford lawyers and could not understand the law and yet they were being cheated by their husbands in business, land and so on, and that’s how FIDA legal Aid services began and now it is self-sustaining. I am proud of this work.

I have also been on a campaign for women emancipation, not only in Uganda, but also other countries. When I was Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and even when I was Speaker, I was also given a responsibility to chair the Commonwealth Women Parliamentary Forum in the Africa region, and one of the bold things I did was to draft a strategy annually ahead of time and identify countries that were going for elections, but had gaps in women representation, and visit the countries and talk to leaders to ensure women are represented well. We did it in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and many others. 

Also, during my work when I was elected president of the African Geopolitical Group at the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), I rooted for women speakers of parliament. And by the time I left, we had a woman speaker in Syria and other countries.

Kadaga (right) receiving a prestigious Africa Award for Good Governance in Marrakesh, Morocco. Kadaga says although the award was personally given to her, she thinks it is for the whole country and represents the country’s good governance initiatives.

As a woman who’s broken many ceilings, how do you assess the current state of women’s participation in leadership and governance across the region?

We have done fairly well, because initially, the National Resistance Council (NRC) in the 1980’s where we had a government of nine people, there was only one woman and it was even difficult to convince women to be on that committee. 

But now, we have women as local council chairpersons and women district chairpersons. And when you move to the parliamentary space, the constitution mandates having a woman representative in every district and at a local government level there is even better representation than at Parliament. 

In the education sector, things have picked up, especially at the graduate level. Nowadays, we have more than 52% of women graduating, unlike in the past. In the business and corporate world, we have some women chief executive officers and in the banking sector. Uh... the judiciary, the numbers have increased and we are progressing, although Rwanda is doing better than us. 

I was also inspired by the legacy of Argentine Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, whose life continues to be a symbol of someone who gave his life for the people of Bolivia. 

There were many other people that inspired me, but Guevara and Golda Meir, who was a powerful and inspirational leader who served as Israel’s prime minister, have inspired me along my leadership and governance journey.

Some of your critics have said that time has come for you to cede the political ground for another lady to emerge in Kamuli. Will you seek another term in 2026? 

We shall talk about that later. Let’s cross the bridge when we reach there. We will talk about that when time comes. As the Minister for East African Community Affairs, how would you assess Uganda’s role in advancing regional integration under your leadership? 

I don’t know whether I would be blowing our own trumpet, but in the East African Community, we are the leaders in terms of integration because for us we are fully committed. Some of our friends are one foot in and one foot out. 

We are fully committed to ensure that the customs union is working, the common market protocols are working. We also want the political federation. So, we are focused.

As a seasoned lawmaker, what message do you have for the current MPs?

They need to settle down and listen. I was not talking every day when I was sitting on the National Resistance Council (NRC). I would first listen to see how people present themselves. 

How they do their research and I would never speak until I have read on the subject. I would make sure my points are well researched and written down, I would not just speak for media attention.

There are so many youth, especially young women that are inspired every day by Kadaga. What message do you have for such young people?

Being focused is the key. I decided that I wanted to be a lawyer when I was in primary school. But also, I had been interested by my late father who was working in the ministry of justice then. So, I took an interest and I worked until I got it. So, for the young people, it is possible if you stay focused on the course.

As someone whose legacy is already influencing future generations, how would you like to be remembered? 

Locally, I have also been engaged in girl emancipation and I have a trust fund to educate bright but poor girls. I have got many that have graduated. Then I have a special interest in the campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FMG) and we have had successes in Kapchorwa district. I have bought many books that were written by Mary Karooro Okurut that I have given to boys to read, so that they can defend their sisters against FGM.

Recently, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, declared intention to oust you from the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the ruling party as second vice-chairperson (female). You have been silent and people think you have you given up the battle. Will you contest for the position?

Why not! I have every intention of standing again for the position of national vice-chairperson. I am the Second Vice-Chairperson (Female) on the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Central Executive Committee (CEC) from the time the party began, I am still the one and I will still be even tomorrow. 

I want to tell you that I will be, against all odds. Ideally, CEC is the top organ of the NRM) party. So, it is supposed to give directions to the Government on what programmes to implement. 

So, it is like a think tank of the party, which passes on thoughts to the Government to ensure they are implemented. As a party, we cannot build roads, but we can advise the Government on such projects.