Source: The New Vision

L-R the Secretary General Alliance for the National Transformation Alice Alaso, Jennifer Bitalabeho, the Chair Governance Board Women Leadership Development WLEDE, the Executive Director WLEDE, Edith Ssali and Sarah Bagalaaliwo during a meeting in Kampala. 

The Executive Director WLEDE, Edith Ssali said the network helps the women to share information on politics and how they can compete for different positions.

Women from nine political parties have formed a network to address issues affecting women.

With help from the Women Leadership Development (WLEDE), the women have put aside their different political ideologies to find solutions for problems affecting women.

WLEDE is a non-profit organisation established in 2012 to develop the leadership capacity of women and youth leaders.

The political parties include Forum for Democratic Change, Democratic Party, NRM, Uganda People’s Congress, the Conservative party, Democratic Party and Justice Forum among others.

The Executive Director WLEDE, Edith Ssali said the network helps the women to share information on politics and how they can compete for different positions.

Others issues the women will address include female genital mutilation (FGM) trafficking of girls to UAE and sexual and gender-based violence among others.

“The women established a virtual network group where they are sharing information on leadership and politics on how to take on different positions,” Ssali said.
 
Speaking during the meeting in Kampala, Ssali also said the current high corruption cases have blocked women from joining politics.

“We have very few leaders coming up to take positions because of the environment. Some members feel they are not confident to work with people who are corrupt,” Ssali added.

The Secretary-General Alliance for National Transformation (ANT), Alice Alaso said the initiative will help women to come together to work out ways in which their issues are addressed.

“Problems affecting women in the opposition are not different from the problems affecting women in the ruling party. When women are dying in hospitals, they don’t ask for party colours. This is a good initiative that women come together and leave their parties at the door,” Alaso said.

Faridah Lule, an analyst at Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) advised that voter education should start now in preparation for the forthcoming elections.

The National Coordinator ANT Major Gen Mugisha Muntu said called for a change in the culture of governance adding that the problem in politics is not a lack of leaders being in positions of power, but the quality of leaders.