The Vice Chancellor of Kabale University, Prof. Joy Constance Kwesiga, has urged women and girls to remain confident and continue pushing forward to claim the opportunities and rights already provided for in law ahead of tomorrow’s International Women’s Day.
Speaking to our reporter, Prof. Kwesiga said that although Uganda’s legal framework, including the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, guarantees gender equality, affirmative action, and protection against discrimination and sexual harassment, the key challenge lies in ensuring that these provisions are fully implemented and respected in practice.
Prof. Kwesiga emphasized that building confidence and leadership skills among girls from an early age is crucial. She said leadership training and awareness should begin in primary and secondary schools, where young people develop self-esteem and begin to see themselves as future leaders.
Educational institutions, she added, therefore have an important role in encouraging girls to take up leadership opportunities. At universities, student leadership positions such as guild leadership expose young people to decision-making, public engagement, and networking.
Many national leaders, she noted, began their journeys through student leadership, demonstrating the importance of these early opportunities.
She observed that society has historically conditioned many girls to believe that leadership is not meant for them, with cultural expectations and language sometimes reinforcing that perception.
She added that when women take advantage of the opportunities available today, however small, they help build a stronger foundation for future generations of women and girls.
This year’s International Women’s Day celebrations are being held under the theme: “Scaling up investment to accelerate access to justice for all women and girls in Uganda.”
