Parliament wants Succession Act popularized

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament, Annet Anita Among has tasked the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Peace Mutuuzo to popularize the Succession (Amendment) Act 2022, saying it has the potential to solve the plight of women.

Among said the Succession Act passed two years ago has already registered demonstrable results, but was concerned that only a few people are aware of its provisions.

“The Succession recognizes that not every woman is married, but one may find that she has children with a man who is married to someone else. The Act says children to such a man must benefit from his property, and because of this, women are not suffering a lot,” said Among.

The Speaker made the statement while opening the 2nd Women’s Parliament; a sitting of women leaders across the country who gathered at Parliament to discuss women-related issues on Monday, ahead of the commemoration of the International Women’s day on 8th March.

The sitting was held under the theme: Consolidating Women’s Social and Economic Transformation in Uganda.’

The Succession (Amendment) Act provides for equal distribution of estates of deceased parents amongst all the children, regardless of the age or the level of dependency on the deceased at the time of death.

The Speaker observed that although the Succession Act may face challenges in implementation, it is well-intentioned and has provisions that must be widely publicized.

“Honorable Mutuuzo, make sure that people get to know what is in that Act because the majority of the people do not know; we need to create awareness of the Act. There may be some challenges in implementation, but we can work together to eliminate system barriers to accessibility and utilization of the prevailing intervention,” said Among.

She commended the efforts by the government to uplift the position of women in Uganda through a range of initiatives such as the Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Program (UWEP), the Parish Development Model (PDM), the GROW project among the many initiatives that provide financial assistance and skills for women.

The Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesige hailed Parliament and its leadership for standing out in creating an enabling environment for inclusion of women and girls.

“I want to appreciate the Speaker for creating a division within Parliament devoted to Equity and Gender Mainstreaming, which will be cascaded to interacting with women at local council levels,” said Mwesige.

Mwesige added, “I appreciate the Speaker for deliberately starting the girl child project, with supports girls with scholarships and skills. This is a clear demonstration that she has not only been supporting women in politics but also girls at a tender level”.

The Resolutions of the 2nd Women’s Parliament will be shared with President Yoweri Museveni, the relevant ministries, and during one of the House sittings for possible actions.

The Monday sitting follows an earlier 1st Women’s Parliament convened in 2015. The 2nd  Women’s Parliament was re-ignited by the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association (UWOPA) with support from the Westminister Foundation for Democracy.

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