Gender Quotas Database
Uganda
Eastern Africa
Single / Lower House
Parliament
| Total seats | 557 |
| Total women | 189 |
| Percentage of women | 34% |
| Gender Quota target | 25% |
| Election year | 2021 |
| Electoral system | FPTP |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution | Article 78(1) of the Constitution states that the parliament shall consist of 1 woman representative for every district. There are 112 districts in Uganda. |
| Electoral law |
Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005 Article 8. District or city women representatives and special interest groups (1) As required by article 78(1)(b) of the Constitution, there shall be one woman representative in Parliament for every district or city. (2) There shall be the following representatives of special interest groups in Parliament for the purposes of article 78(1)(c) of the Constitution— (a) for the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces there shall be ten representatives at least two of whom shall be women; (b) for workers there shall be five representatives at least one of whom shall be a woman; (c) for the youth there shall be five representatives at least one of whom shall be a woman; and (d) for persons with disabilities, there shall be five representatives, at least one of whom shall be a woman. (5) Where a new district is created the following provisions shall apply to the election of district women representatives— (a) the district woman representative for the original district affected shall continue to represent the district of her choice; (b) election shall be held to elect a district woman representative for the district not represented under paragraph (a). (c) the election shall be held within sixty days after creation of the new district. |
|
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Gender Quota target | 33% |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Constitution |
Article 180 (2:b) of the 1995 Constitution states that one-third of the membership of each local government council shall be reserved for women. |
| Electoral law |
Women councillors are elected from special constituencies. ‘The population quota for demarcation of electoral areas for women representatives shall be determined by the requirement of women constituting one-third of any local council being considered.’ (Article 108 (3) of the Local Governments Act, 1997) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| National Resistance Movement | (NRM) |
When the National Resistance Movement party is electing leadership of the organs, "40% of the positions shall be reserved for women except in cases where it is impracticable to do so" (ch. 5, article 42.1). (NRM constitution) |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
In the 2011 election, 131 seats were won by women, including 11 elected through constituency representatives, 112 district women representatives; two youth representatives; two representatives of disabled persons; two workers’ representatives; and two representatives of the Uganda People's Defense Forces.
In the 2006 election, 99 seats were won by women, including 14 constituency representatives; 79 district women representatives (one district seat remained vacant); one youth representative; one representative of disabled persons; two workers’ representatives; and two representatives of the Uganda People's Defense Forces.
Prior to 2006, women contesting district representative seats reserved for women were not directly elected but were elected by an electoral college which was often male dominated.
Sources
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Uganda on iKNOW Politics
- Wang, V., & Yoon, M. 2018. Recruitment mechanisms for reserved seats for women in parliament and switches to non-quota seats: A comparative study of Tanzania and Uganda. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 56(2), 299-324
- Clayton, A., Josefsson, C. & Wang, V. 2016, Quotas and Women’s Substantive Representation: Evidence from a Content Analysis of Ugandan Plenary Debates, Politics & Gender, Quotas and Women’s Substantive Representation
- Longwe, S. H. 2000. ‘Towards Realistic Strategies for Women's Political Empowerment in Africa’, in Women and Leadership, Caroline Sweetman (ed.). Oxford: Oxfam. pp. 24-30.
- Tamale, S. 2000. ‘”Point of order, Mr Speaker”: African women claiming their space in parliament’, in Caroline Sweetman (ed.) Women and Leadership, Oxford: Oxfam. pp. 24-30.
- Tripp, A.M. 2000. Women & Politics in Uganda, Madison: University of Wisconsin Press; Oxford: James Currey and Kampala: Fountain Publishers.
- Butegwa, F. 1999. ‘Building Women's Capacity to Participate in Governance’, paper presented at the Capacity Building North and South Links and Lessons Conference, July 1-3.
- Tamale, S. 1999. When Hens Begin to Crow: Gender and Parliamentary Politics in Uganda. Boulder: Westview Press.
- Inter-Parliamentary Union. 1997. Democracy Still in the Making: A World Comparative Study. Geneva: Inter-Parliamentary Union.
- Kabebari-Macharia, J. 1997. ‘Asserting the Right to Political Decision-making’, GENDEReview – Kenya's Women and Development Quarterly. 4. no. 1: 13-14.
- Kalebbo, G. D. 1996. ‘How to Make it to Parliament’, Women's Vision, April 30.
- Uganda Parliament website, http://www.parliament.go.ug/
Explore more resources: Africa | Global
Know about useful additional reading for Uganda? Tell us!
Submit feedback
Submit questions or comments about the Data or Tool
How did you find out about this? What do you like about it? What did you expect but did not find in using the Data or Tool?
To see how we handle your personal data, please read our Privacy Policy.
