SHARECountry Data
Uganda (Republic of Uganda) has a Unicameral parliament with the use of voluntary party quotas and legislated quotas for the single/lower house and at the sub-national level. 188 of 556 (34%) seats in the Parliament are held by women.
At a glance
Structure of Parliament: Unicameral
Are there legislated quotas...
- For the Single/Lower House? Yes
- For the Sub-National Level? Yes
Are there voluntary quotas...
- Adopted by political parties? Yes
Is there additional information?...
- Yes
Last updated: Feb 21, 2023
Single/Lower House
Parliament
| Total seats | 556 |
| Total Women | 188 |
| % Women | 34% |
| 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 | The parliament of Uganda is formed in the following way: there are 238 constituency representatives; 112 district women representatives directly elected by all voters on a special ballot in each district (for women candidates only); 10 representatives of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, of whom 2 must be women; 5 youth representatives, of whom 1 must be a woman; 5 representatives of persons with disabilities, of whom 1 must be a woman; and 5 representatives of workers, of whom 1 must be a woman (Article 8 of the Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005). | |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | N/A | Not applicable |
| Rank order/placement rules | N/A | Not applicable |
| 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
| 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) |
|
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | N/A | Not applicable |
| Rank order/placement rules | N/A | Not applicable |
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
LEGAL SOURCES:
- Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995, accessed: 24 October 2019;
- Parliamentary Elections Act, 2005, accessed: 04 April 2014;
- Local Government Act, 1997
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/