The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) has implored Parliament to reject the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, No. 59, 2024 seeking to repeal articles establishing the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) and merge it with the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC).
CSBAG’s Executive Director, Julius Mukunda, opined that the proposed merger which hopes to save funds and improve service delivery will instead be a dis-service to the nation, cognizant of EOC’s unique interventions for the marginalised citizenry.
“EOC is not merely an agency, it is a cornerstone of accountability in gender-responsive budgeting. By issuing compliance certificates, it certifies government commitment to fair resource distribution and acts as a watchdog to guarantee equitable treatment for all Ugandans,” Mukunda said as the CSBAG team appeared before the House Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs scrutinising the Bill on Thursday, 17 October 2024.
CSBAG is a coalition of civil society organisations formed to influence government policy on the budget.
Mukunda argued that placing of EOC under UHRC is a way of abolishing the former saying their roles are so distinct that the two entities may not co-exist.
“The only similarity is that EOC has a High Court equivalent process of adjudicating over matters, but issues to deal with producing an equal opportunities report, certificates of compliance and equity, understanding the causes of inequality in the country are not in the Uganda Human Rights Commission,” he said.
He prayed that if Parliament proceeds with rationalising the agencies, functions of EOC should be clearly spelled out and that a position of a deputy chairperson to oversee its operations is established.
“We recommend a duo leadership model, the creation of two deputy chairpersons; one from each commission who will collaborate to uphold their respective mandates. This model would maintain the integrity and value of EOC while ensuring that human rights and equal opportunities are championed at the highest levels,” Mukunda said.
Hon. Jonathan Odur (UPC, Erute County South) said the proposals of the Bill are unfair to EOC saying its functions are not captured.
“Whereas government says they are doing a merger, a proper analysis means that government is abolishing the Equal Opportunities Commission, because after repealing clauses 3 and 4 which talk about the commission’s functions, what is left is only the name. There is nothing about equal opportunities they are maintaining apart from the name,” Odur said.
He cited a witness who recently appeared before the committee suggesting that if it is an issue of saving money and combining efforts, UPDF should be combined with Uganda Police and Uganda Prisons Service so that there is one force.
“Is it really fair in principle combining someone who deals with combat, with another handling law and order and those in charge of custody of prisoners?” Odur asked in reference to the proposed merger of EOC and UHRC.
Hon. Robert Ssekitoleeko (NUP, Bamunanika County) observed that those who desire to save resources through rationalisation, did not put into consideration the lives of employees who will be laid off amidst high unemployment.
“With the unemployment situation, did they consider where people who have been working for those agencies are heading to?” Ssekitoleeko asked.
The Bill to rationalise the two agencies was initially processed in February 2024 but the committee halted the process because the requisite certificate of financial implication lacked revenue estimates and expenditure.
