2026 polls: Activists call for protection of women against violence

A coalition of domestic violence activists under the Women Movement of Uganda has urged government to commit on ensuring protection of females against electoral violence during the 2026 polls.

Stella Rose Akutui from Landnet Uganda said their coalition is concerned about violence faced by women during polls.

“Election violence in Uganda results from shifts in violence from homes to public spaces with the method of queuing behind candidates, militarization of electoral processes and commercialization of elections,” she observed.

Akutui added that “this violence is aimed at stopping women from participating in democratic processes.”

 “This has an effect on women’s participation in election processes. Therefore, our women’s movement urges government to take steps and prevent this kind of violence,” she remarked on Monday in Kampala.

Elizabeth Kemigisha, the advocacy communications manager at FIDA, said that women activists should not lose hope, but instead persist to stand in solidarity through collective activism for a Uganda where women are not in fear of violence.

“We urge all advocates to come together to demand justice for all the women and girls that have been violated and continue to face violence,” she said.

Meanwhile, Immaculate Owomugisha from the Centre for women Justice said that their call to the general public is to break the culture of silence and shame that surrounds domestic violence.

“We need to engage in community awareness programs that challenge the negative social norms and violence,” she advised.

 “This can only be achieved by media since they play a critical role in shaping the public opinion and we must embrace the duty to educate, raise aware and promoting positive narratives about gender equality,” she added.

The calls come at a time when cases of domestic violence are on the rise in East African Countries, per media reports.

In Uganda, females (23.4 million) currently outnumber their male counterparts by nearly one million, according to 2024 government data.