Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1698929999727.pdf (Uganda)
{ I PARLIAMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF UGANDA ,w RTPORT OF THE COMMTTTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNIES ON THE 4TId ANNUAL REPORT OF THE STATE OF EQUAT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR OPPORTUNITIES IN 2OL6l L7 OFFICE OF THE CLERK TO PARLIAMENT PARLIAMENTARY BUILD I{AIVIPALA UGANDA )w' JULY 19 s;) ,t-y t ACRONYMS ffi AA ATM BFP CAO CDO Aflirmative Action Automated Teller Machine Budget Framework Paper Chief Administrative Officer Community Development Officer CEDAW Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women I CRC CRPD CSOs DLG EOC EO GBV G&E GOU ICT KCCA LG LLG MAAIF MDAs MoES MDGs MGLSD MFPED MoH MLHUD MoPS Convention on the Rights of the Child Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Civil Socie ty Or ganizations Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Violence against Women District Local Government Equal Opportunities Commission Equal Opportunities Gender Based Violence Gender and Equity Government of Uganda Information Communication and Technolory Kampala Capital City Authority Local Government Lower Local Government Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries Ministries Departments and Agencies Ministry of Education and Sports \ Millennium Development Goals Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development Ministry of Health Ministry of Lands Housing and Urban Development Ministry of Public service +tu ilPage "s MoWE Ministry of Water and Environment MP MPSs NCD NDP NGOs NIRA NUDIPU NUSAF r{YC OBT OVC PFMA PRELNOR PWDs SAGE SCG
 SDGs SRHS Member of Parliament Ministerial Policy Statements National Council for Disability National Development Plan Non- Governmental Organizations National Identifi cation and Registration Authority National Union of Disabled Persons of Uganda Northern Uganda Social Action Fund National Youth Council Output Budgeting Tool Orphans and Vulnerable Children Public Finance Management Act Project for Restoration of Livelihood in the Northern Uganda Persons with Disabilities Social Assistance Grants for Empowerment Senior Citizens Grant Sustainable Development Goals Sexual Reproductive Health Services UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UWEP UNRA wHo YIGs YLP Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme Uganda National Roads Authority World Health Organization Youth Interest Groups Youth Livelihood Programme oy W +e+ (\ ^ ii lPage 'w.
EXECUTTVE SUMMARY In accordance with section 24(2) and (3) of the Equal Opportunities Act 2OO7, the Equal Opportunities Commission developed the 4th Annual Report on the State of Equal Opportunities in Uganda for the FY 20L612O17 with the theme: "Enhancing National Deuelopment through Equitg and Inclusion" and was laid at Table on 13ft March, 2OLB the 4ft Annual Report of the Equal Opportunities Commission was presented to this House and referred to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for further scrutiny, in accordance with Rule 180 (c) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.
The report highlights emerging issues on state of equal opportunities on: Compliance to Gender & Equity requirements in Planning & Budgeting; equitable access to health service delivery for marginalised and vulnerable groups; Implementation of social development programmes targeting the older persons, youths, women and people with disabilities; and status of physical accessibility to built-up environment.
It also presents key recommendations to address the gaps towards equitable service delivery for all persons.

This Report highlights the progress made by both Public and Private Institutions in ensuring equal opportunities for all persons and affirmative action for marginalized and vulnerable groups, identifies policy gaps and lessons learnt and makes recommendations towards promoting equal opportunities.
Major Observations and recommendations in the report include: In the Health sectorl Persons with Disabilities access and utilization of health by lack of appropriate physical facilities such as ramps adjustable beds especial in labor wards, wheel chairs and disability friendly sanitation facilities, lack access of s pecialized treatment or services for Persons with Disabilities constrained iii I Pa & \--4-g w persons living with Albinism.
Most of the health workers have not undergone training in the use of sign language which makes it quite difficult for them to attend to some of the Persons with Disabilities especially those that have hearing impairments and speech difficulties; and Majority of the district health facilities lack proper means of transport (ambulances) for the patient,s especially expectant women and those with emergency cases.
It is recommended that; Disabllitg-frtendlg faclllties such c:s rqmtr s, adJustable bed.s, uheel cho;lrs and sanltation should be proalded and frequentlg renoaated in all exlstlng and futttre heo,lth facllltles.

The Mlntstry of Health should deaelop q. comlrrehenslae programme to trqln medicq.l Personnel ln slgn language in the health sector to lmprooe on the comm;ttnicatlon abtlittes utth persons uith hearlng lmpalrments.
The health faclllties should, be fullg equlpped, utith appropriate dtttgs, ambuldnces and, personnel to provlde speclallzed seny'rces for the marginalized qnd, trulnerable groups e.g.

gerlatricians for the persons, psgcho social support sewices for gouths ols utell settlces for older persons and children.
a/ o In the Social Development Sector; Delays in remittance of grants to the s, long waiting time during cash pa5rment, overreliance on national identification data to select beneficiaries and poor funding for operations, Mobilization and Sensitization in all programmes, viz.

SAGE, YLP, UWEP, WCF and Vulnerability and Disability funds.
The reliance on national identification data to select beneficiaries can lead to discrimination of some older persons particularly those that have not yet been registered for a Na as well as those that registered but have not yet their names and dates of birth ivlPage HE The criteria for selecting beneficiaries of the SAGE is age based (oldest 100 persons per sub county) and does not take into consideration the varying levels of vulnerability among the older persons - especially the chronically poor, gender, disability and those with terminal illnesses among others.
There is rigidity in guidelines on group membership in the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) coupled with low involvement of youth with disabilities.

On IIWEP, Committee noted Partial roll out of the TIWEP activities.

It was observed that not all municipalities and districts were accessing institutional support.

By the end of FY 2015 I L7, only 72 districts and 22 municipalities were accessing the funds to directly support women's projects.
At the end of the reporting period, 44 districts and L9 municipalities were not receiving funds to support women's proJects.

ft is recommended that MGLSD should roll out the SAGE programme to couer all dtstrtcts tn the country to ensure dll older Persons equttablg cccess q.nd beneJTt from the progrqmme.

A more elaborate plan should be spectfied to show when older persons ln the other remalnlng 62 dlstricts utlll beneflt from the grant for equttg reasons.
In addltlon, rrulnerabllltg letrcl of older persons should be consldered, durlng ldenttffcdtlon qnd enrolment of beneflcldrles so thq.t prtorltg ts qccorded to the most lmpoaerlshed qnd/or rrulnerable older persons ln the communltg such as the phgslcallg dtsabled, tertntnallg lll and the chronlcallg poor.
In addltlon, the households uthere these older persons corte from ought to al.so be prlorltlzed to access, parttctpate and benefit from other deaelopment programmes such as Operatlon Wealth Creatlon, and NUSAF Q,\ /') \ vlPag w I In addition, the MoGLSD should ensure that YLP guidelines are reuiewed.

to prouide for a specific threshold for youth with disabilities.

For auoid.ance of doubt, at least 5o/o of beneficiaies should.

be goutlts with d.isabitities.


The training should foclts on enterprise selection and.

management.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.

Members, it is our considered view that recommendations contained in the main report will go a long way in addressing some of the pertinent Equal Opportunities concerns affecting the people of Uganda.
\ag 9 I therefore pray that the report of the Equal Opportunities Committee on the 4th Annual Report of the Equal Opportunities Commission be considered by this House and recommendations therein adopted.

I beg to report Asamo Hellen Grace (MP) Chairperson, Committee on Equal OpportunitiesM *t d vi lPage w 1.O INTRODUCTION The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) is a Constitutional body established by the Equal Opportunities Commission Act, No.
2 of 2OO7 (EOC Act) oto giue effect to th.e State's Constitutional mandate to eliminate discrimination and ineEtalities against ang indiuidual or group of persons on the ground of sex, ag€, race, colour, ethnic ortgin, tribe, birth, creed or religion, lrcalth stafiis, social or economic standing, political opinion or disabilitg, and take affirmatiue action in fauour of groups marginalised on the basis of gender, age, disabilitg or anA other reason created by history, tradition or anstom for th.e purpose of redressing imbalances which enst against them; and to prouide for other related matters".
The 4e Annual report of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) report FY 2016l17 was developed pursuant to Section 24 (2) of the Equal Opportunities Commission Act, 2OO7 which mandates the Commission to publish disseminate and submit to Parliament Annual Reports on the state of equal opportunities in the country.
The report presents an overview on the vulnerable and marginalized groups in Uganda including orphans and vulnerable children, youths, persons with disabilities, women, older persons and ethnic minorities.

The report was laid before the House and referred to the Committee on Equal Opportunities for scrutiny in accordance with Rule 180 (1) of our Rules of Procedure.
The Committee scrutinised the report, made a number of observations and recommendations to address some of the problems indicated in the report and now wishes to report in accordance with Rule 180(4).

$ lM- ,s CL Pa * 1.2 Methodology i.


In considering the report, the Committee held meetings with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as follows: Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Ministry of Health (MoH), Ministry of Education and sports MoES), Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD), Education and Sports (MoES) and Equal Opportunities Commission.

ii.

Conducted on spot assessment of selected detention facilities in the country.

iii.
iii.

Received written response from some MDAs including- MGLSD, MoJCA, UPDF, UPF, KCCA and URA.

iv.

The committee conducted field visits in the central, western, Eastern and Northern uganda in selected districts of Mukono, Ma5ruge, Buikwe, Jinja, Hoima and Buliisa on targeted capital ventures SAGE, yl,p, Disability funds and UWEP.
% M 6, d'/ 2lPage w 2.O ANNUAL PERFORMANCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMMISSION 2.1 Introduction This section presents both the financial and activity performance of the Equal Opportunities Commission for the FY 2016lL7 2.2 Financial Performance The financial performance and budget allocations of Equal Opportunities Commission for the 5 year period - 2Ol2l13 to 2016l17 is indicated.

The main sources of funding during the period were Government of Uganda Consolidated Fund and Development Partners viz.
GIZ, DGF, UN Human Rights, UN Women and UNDP.

2.2.L Budgetary Nlocation The Commission's budgetary allocations from Government of Uganda have been increasing overtime from UGX 0.6bn in FY 2OL2l13 to UGX 7.29tbn during FY 2016/ L7.

This portrays a positive trend.

However, the Commission is still one of the underfunded entities.

Its funding is very low compared to the required threshold of l2bn needed annually to finance ssion's Strategic Plan 2Ol5l16 - 2Ol9l20.
2.2.2 Overall Budget Performance During FY 2016/17, the Commission had a total budget of UGX 8.899bn including funding from Government of Uganda and Development Partners.

Only UGX 7,3o3bn was released, representing 88o/o.

The shortfall resulted into performance at 8O.5% mainly due to inadequate budget releases under the non-wage for the fourth quarter.

2.3 K;ey Achievements .ew- sub section highlights key achievements.
They ude 0e 3lPage ffir 2.3.1 Enhanced Obsenrance of Social Justice for all Particularly the Marginal ize d, Persons / groups The Commission received a total of 291 complaints as detailed in the report.

Out of 291 complaints registered, 206 were handled and concluded representing 7 O .7 o/o through tribunal hearings.
2.3.2 Ensuring Compliance with National, Regional and International Provisions for the Promotion of Equal opportunities for all During the period, BFPs and MPS for the FY 20 LT /18 were assessed.

In total t-4 16 sector BFPs and 137 MPS were assessed as mandated by Section La}lgg) rf* I the EOC Act.

x/'2 In addition, the Commission developed the National Capacity Development Plan on Gender and Equity that was launched by the Rt.

Hon.

Speaker of Parliament in June 2OI7.


2.3.3 Review and Advocacy for Affirmative Action to redress Imbalances and Special needs of the Discriminated Vulnerable and Marginalized.

Persons/Groups The Commission carried out audits on selected public and private institutions and facilities for compliance to physical accessibility guidelines and standards.
The handled institutions include; KCCA main building, Mulago General referral Hospital at Kiruddu, Centenary Bank Main Building - Mapeera House Parliamentary Buildings - Parliament of Uganda.

Findings from institutions indicated that none of the institutions scored high on physical accessibility ratings, implying that they were not fully accessible by persons with disabilities, older persons, children and expectant mothers.
q/ { Commission in addition, compiled report on the state equal ties in Uganda highlighting the a # age 2.4 Challenges of the Commission in implementing its mandate The Commission has faced a number of challenges which affect the execution of its mandate.

Notable ones include; 2.4.t Difliculty in reaching out to all the 116 districts through the EOC Secretariat in Kampala.

This challenge can only be addressed by establishing at least four regional offices.
Last Financial year alone, the Commission registered 29L complaints of which 620/o (181) were from the central region in comparison to lo/o from Northern region.

Few complaints were registered from other regions not because of limited cases of discrimination and marginalization but rather due to the accessibility challenge.

Establishment of regional offices will increase access to the Commission services.

2.4.2 Lack of a Tribunal Fund.


The Commission is expected to reach out to various parts of the country to administer justice with reference to the complaints lodged from the different vulnerable and marginalised groups.

However, there are no funds to efficiently n 28 of the facilitate Tribunal activities as provided un and effectively EOC Act,2OO7 2.4.3 Inadequate Stafling.

has approved a new staffing structure for The Ministry of Public Service (M the Equal Opportunities Commission.
Currenfly, there is a wage gap of t.7 billion per annum for the approved structure.

Delayed fulfillment of this plan will delay a ro11 out plan of ensuring compliance to equal opportunities and affirmative action among both state and non-state institutions and consequently hinder efforts towards inclusive growth and development.

lPa w+ J<) I N so € 2.4.4 Lack of transport for Members of the commission.
The Mandate of the Commission requires Members to regularly reach out to marginalized and discriminated populace across the Country.

However, they are constrained by lack of adequate means of transport.
2.5 Suggestions to Overcome above Challenges The Committee recommends that Government adequately funds EOC to enable it undertake recruitment of staff, opening up of regional centres and purchase of vehicles for members to enable the commission perform its mandate of raising the level of equal opportunities in the country.

q" r- D .r w- d.& SJ(_)/, \ 6lPage \s.


3.O STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE PREVTOUS ANNUAL REPORT FY 2O15l 16 ON THE STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN UGANDA The Commission engaged various stakeholders through dialogue meetings to follow up on progress made with regard to their specific recommendations as captured in the previous Annual Reports on State of equal opportunities in Uganda.
As a result, majority of the respective institutions had either partially or fully implemented the recommendations to enhance equitable service delivery for all persons.

However, the Committee would like to bring to the attention of this august House, notable recommendations that have not been fully implemented and grossly affected the state of equal opportunities in the country.

They include: 9, \- 1.


MoLHUD failed to engage ethnic minorities who were evicted from their ancestral lands such as Batwa, Bagungu, Benet and the Ndorobo.

To- date, Government has not resettled the landless communities.

Although some Batwa got their own land, this had been bought for them by Adventists relief agency (ADRA) Uganda, an NGO based in Kisoro district.

2.
2.

The MGLSD has failed to develop and implement tailor-made sensitization and awareness programmes and initiatives on the needs and rights of marginalized groups among MDAs and LGs citing limited Q U resources.

3.

MoICT and National Guidance has failed to ensure that public information is packaged in disability friendly modes in form of large prints and braille formats for people with low vision.
In addition, there is limited or no use of sign language in highly interactive offices such a courts, police, health units and schools.

4.

The Ministry of Public Service/Public Service Commission has failed to review remuneration across all public institutions and come up with measures to address the rela and inequity.

disoaritiesW- 7l 5.

The ministry of Health has failed to close the gap in health provision for PWD due to lack of trained staff in sign language.
The Committee urges EOC to come up with sanctions for those institutions not complying with our legal provision on equity and redressing imbalances.

Public Senrice commission should endeavor to carry out its constitutional mandate of reviewing terms and conditions of senrice and standing orders as enshrined in Article 166 (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.

*(r., q-, cs W a v) d 8lPage W4.O STATE OF COMPLTANCE TO GENDER & EQUITY IN PLANNING AND BUDGETING Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.
Members, in accordance with Article 32(3) of the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, section (14) and (15) of the Equal Opportunities Commission Act (2OO7), sectionl3 (15) (g) (i) and (ii) of the Public Finance Management Act (2015) and sub section 4.1 of the NDP II (201512016- 2Ol9l2020), the Equa1 Opportunities Commission assessed Budget Framework Papers, the National Budget and Ministerial Policy Statements (Financial Year 2Ol7l2O18) for compliance with Gender and Equity requirements.
Gender and equity budgeting ensures that different needs and interests of men, women, youth, children, ethnic minorities, older persons, the rural poor, marginalised groups and disadvantaged regions and or locations are accommodated and addressed in all the Budget Framework Papers and Ministerial Policy Statements.

{ $ d s $ The Commission assessed a total of 16 Budget Framework Papers and 139 Ministerial Policy Statements.
The assessment focused on Sector/Vote responsiveness to addressing Gender and Equity requirements with respect to BFP/MPS sections viz; Overview, Past Performance (FY 2016l2017), Plans and Budget Allocation for the Financial Year 2016117 and 2Ol7 l2ol8 and challenges to addressing G&E in the medium term.

4.1 Ovenriew of Sector Compliance Level to G&E Requirements In total, the Commission assessed 16 sectors viz.
Agriculture; Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Energr and Mineral Development; Works and Transport; Information and Communications Technologr; Tourism, Trade and Industry; Education; Health; Water and Environment; Social Development; Security; Accountability, Public Administration, Justice, Law and Order; Public Sector t and Legislature.

9 .& The overall national compliance to Gender and Equity requirements for the FY 2OL6l2Ol7 and 2Ol7 /2018 was 57o/o and 607o respectively.
Out of the 16 assessed sectors, 15 scored at least 50% which was the pass mark for the FY 2OLT l2ol8.

Consequently, 15 sectors were recommended to be issued a certificate of Gender and Equity compliance for the Financial Year 2Ot7l2OI8.

The Enerry and Mineral Development complied with a level of 360/o which was 14 percentage points below the pass mark.

Budget Framework Paper/Ministerial Policy Statement was assessed out of IOOo/o.
The average pass mark for the Financial Year 2Ot7 12018 was 50% which was raised from 4Oo/o - FY 20 16l2Ol7 .

Detall.s tn EOC Report pgs 53-62 4.2 Reasons attributed to improvement in performance for some Votes Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.

Members, out of IOT votes that passed the assessment, 77 of the Votes registered improvement that ranged from 260/o points to LOOo/o percentage point.
Votes that registered the highest improvement included; Lira Universit5r, Parliamentary Commission, Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Uganda Land Commission, National Planning Authority and Judiciary.

Some of the reasons attributed to the improvement include the following; 1 11 Trainings on gender and equity responsive planning and budgeting.
The Commission in collaboration with the UN Women has engaged a number of sectors/votes among which included; Energr and Mineral Development; ICT; Tourism, Trade & Industry; Health; Water and Environment; Public Administration; and Justice Law and Order Sector.

There is improved attitude towards gender and equity within the MDAs.

This is partly attributed to the Public Finance 20 5 which require votes to address gender and equity issues in Ministerial StatemenW ts as a legal requirement.
\ 10 lP 8e Vzu iii.

Development and distribution of Gender and Equity Guidelines.

The 2016l17 Budget Call Circular was delivered to the respective accounting officers together with gender and equity guidelines.

iv.

Appreciation and implementation of the Commission's recommendations highlighted in the 2OL6|2O17 MPS assessment Report.

v. Proactiveness of different MDAs to consult with the Commission on how to discern gender and equity issues vi.
The backstopping programme of the Commission has also played a key role.

Every after an assessment, the Commission engages with Votes scoring below the minimum mark with an aim of helping them address the cited gaps.

Pro-activeness 4.3 Reasons attributed to decline in performance for some sectors Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.

Members, whereas some votes registered improvement, compliance levels of some votes declined in the FY 2017 l2Ol8.
Votes that registered the highest percentage points decline included; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets, National Medical Stores, Law Reform Commission, National Environmental Management Authority, Uganda Human Rights Commission, Electoral Commission, Directorate of Public Prosecutions and the Ministry of Defence.

Some of the reasons attributed to the decline include the following; frx (i) The shift from Output Based Budgeting to Performance Budgeting System.
The new budgeting approach requires evidence based planning and budgeting which was found lacking in most of the MDAs.

Consequently, MDAs encountered challenges in the formulation and committing to outcomes/outcome indicators that are gender and equity responsive among other requirements.

(ii) Neglect of the Commission's recommendations reflected in 2ot6 I 2Ol7 MPS assessment Report.
@-- rttr& 11 lPa e F b ( N sg .ds' (iii)Non appreciation of the importance of gender and equity planning and budgeting 4.4 General Obsenrations and Challenges Encountered by EIOC during the Assessment of BFPS and MPSs for the Fy 2O7-Zl201.g The following were the general observations and/or challenges; l. 11.
There is improvement in the way the various Votes appreciate gender and equity issues and its linkage to inclusive growth Votes that have been supported by the Commission have registered greater improvement.

iii.

It is quite difficult to ascertain the amount of money allocated to outputs that explicitly promote Gender and Equity.

iv.

There was delayed submission of Budget Framework Papers and Ministerial Policy Statements to the Commission for assessment.
According to the timelines, the MoFPED is required to make submission of all budgets to Parliament by 15ft March and by that date no MDA had made submission to EOC.

v vl.

The role of the Equal Opportunities Commission as provided for in the Public Finance Management Act, 2Ol5 is not highlighted in the budget cycle.

On average, the Commission needs at least two weeks to assess the submissions.

For the Financial Year under review, the assessment results were demanded prior to submission of most MPSs.
{i 6 In preparation of the 2ol7 /2018 compliance assessments, Commission invited two focal point persons in the various MDAs for engagement.

However, Committee noted with concern that some Agencies sent representatives who do not play any role in the preparation of BFPs and MPSs.

This act is Commission's capacity building efforts partly blamed for constraining ge 4.s Reco-mrtions to sectors, Ministries, Departments and Agencies i.
All Sectors and MDAs should lmplement the recommendatlons made on eo;ch of the cssessment areq htghllghted ln the Annual report of the Commlsslon.

ii.

Respectlae Sectorsfi/otes should llalse uttth the Comrnlssion in cqse more support and./or guldance is requlred.

The Comrnission has alreadg made commitments before Parllqment to offer support, lncluding those uttth challenges of dlscernlng Gender and Equttg requlrements.

11i.
11i.

Equallg tmportant, the MoFPED should lnclude the q.ssessment of BFPs and MPSs bg EOC ln the Budget Cgcle timellnes to afford the commlssion ample tlme to carry out the mandate.

iv.

Sectors and.

Votes should submlt their B.FPs and MPSs utlthln the stlpulated tlme to enqble the Commlssion complete the cssessments ln time and also offer support to those uttth @nder and Equltg technlcal challenges.
All Sectors and MDAs slauld nomlnqte focal persons partlcularlg from the Plo;nnlng Untts/htnctlons utth uhom the Commlsslon should ltalse ln matters of knder and Dqultg as a short tenn me@sure.

In the medlum tertn, sectors/i|llDAs should rectttlt or hire Technlcq.l Adaisors for @nder dnd, Equttg utlthln thelr resource enaelope.
lPage x v s, 5.O KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNTTTES rN UGANDA Fy 2ot6l t7 5.1 STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNTTTES rN HEALTH SECTOR 5.1.1 Introduction Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.

Members, the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda provides that the State shall ensure that all Ugandans enjoy the right of access to health services The health of the Ugandan population is central to the socio-economic transformation of the country.
In Uganda, the health sector aims at producing a healthy and productive population that effectively contributes to socio- economic growth, which is consistent with sustainable development goals (SDGs).

This calls for expansion of access and quality of health care delivery of promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative care (GOU, 2015).

In the provision of health services, everyone should have equal opportunity which requires that resources and services are distributed equitably.
Individuals and communities must be able to actively participate in decisions that affect their health, including in planning and organization.

In addition, health care must be accessible and provided without discrimination on account of health status, race, ethnicity, dge , sex, sexuality, disability, language, religion, national origin, income, or social status {l d 5.1.2 Keg Obsentatlons 1.
Persons with disabilities access and utilization of health services is strained by lack of appropriate physical facilitie.s such as ramps, adjustable beds especially in labor wards , wheel chairs and disability- in hospitals.

These constraints have also y sanitation highlighted by WH NFPA as kevW health facility U tr 74 Pa 11 111 lV.

v vl.

vll.

v111.

hg" persons with disabilities access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services.
Most of the health workers have not undergone training in the use of sign language which makes it quite difficult for them to attend to some of the Persons with Disabilities especially those that have hearing impairments and speech difficulties.

As a result, end up being discriminated.

Older persons wait in long queues at health facilities to access health services which is partly attributed to few health workers.
Whereas long queues are a common occurrence especially at public health facilities in Uganda, lack of special consideration for older persons was a hindrance to access of health services.

Majority of the health facilities lack access to specialized treatment or services for Persons with Disabilities, persons living with Albinism and Older persons.

On a positive note, majority of the health facilities had at least one service offered to the women, people living with HIV/AIDs, Children and youths.
Majority of the district health facilities lack proper means of transport (ambulances) for the patient's especially expectant women and those with emergency cases who in some cases needed to be referred to other health facilities.

There are disparities in the distribution of health personnel with General Hospitals and Hea1th Centre IIs worst affected at 680/o and 53% of positions filled which affects equitable health service delivery among the marginalized and vulnerable populace.
The Commission noted that there is a mismatch between the drug deliveries facilities as per demands of and needs of population The Commission reported that there was an increase in drug abu among the youth, in Uganda which has a strong linkage to mental health patients at Butabika Hospital illness.

At ast 42o/o of ffi lPa $v lx are young people below 30 years, and predominantly due to drug abuse.

Uganda has high rates of death from preventable causes.
The top causes of premature death include; HIV/AIDS related illnesses, lower respiratory infection and malaria.

For children under five, malaria, pneumonia and anemia are the leading causes of death yet preventable with proper care (MoH, 2015).

5.1.3 Recommendations i. Gou should lncrease heo,lth financing progresstwlg to tt.
achieulng 75o/o of the nqtlonq.l budget ln llne wtth tlgand.a,s commitment under the AbuJa Declaration and ensure aaallable resources are effecthrclg uttltzed to improae the qualttg of health care ccross the country.

?his co;n be achietrcd through a,nnuq.l increments on the health budget.

There is need to integrate gouth frtendlg setrices ln heq.lth facilttles considering the set standard,s uslng the auallq.ble resources ln localities, to enable the gouth freelg disctose senslttoe matters and.
receiae approprlqte treatment and heq,lth serttices especlallg counselllng senrlces, testlng on HW AIDS other related, matters to.

iit.

Dtsabilitg-frtendlg faciltttes such cs ro;mps, adJustable uheel cho;lrs and sanltqtion should be proulded, and renooqted in o,ll exlsttng and futttre health facllittes.

The haernment should proald,e approprlate health care settlces to trulnerable and marglnallzed groups.
The Mintstry of Heo.lth should deuelop a. comprehenslae trqin medlcal personnel ln slgn language in the programme to lmproue on the communlcatton obilitles utth health ng lmpalrtnents.

In addltlon, the Mtnistry disabllitg campalgns in auro,reness Persons a. ln tlelr }W 16 lPage 5,d p- ut.

u.i,t.

ttttt.

tx,.

x. xl.

ry 8t/ ffi, order to reduce on the negatlae attltudes exhibtted ln most hert,lth centers towards Persons utith Dlsabllltles.
The @aernment should recrttlt mare health workers to address the staffing gqps ln the heo,lth sector paralcularlg for @nerq.l Hospitals qnd.

Health Centers qt dlstrtct and sub countg leael.

The hell,lth faclllties should be fullg equtpped utth approprlate dntgs, qmbulqnces qnd personnel to provlde speclallzed setdces for the marginaltzed and trulnerqble groups e.g.

gertatrlclans for the older persons, psgcho soclal support setdces for gouths crs utell as Nutrltlon senf,ces for older persons qnd.
chlldren.

Goaernment should ettsure thoI tle dlstrlbutlon of dtttgs to Health factltttes bg Nqtlonq.l Medlcal Stores should take lnto conslderqtlon the preoalllng needs of the heqlth faclltttes qnd the communltles.

MOH should introduce affTrrno;tlae cction cards through the health commlttees qt the sub countles to track effectlaeness o.f health sett/,ce deltaery for th,e marglnaltzed qnd trulnerable populdtions.
A no queue poltcg should be established to eqse cccess to heqlth care senices bg older persons qnd PWDs.

huentment should enho;nce efforts to reduce mortalltg and morbtdttg stemmlng from pretrentable causes such as malarla, HIV/AIDS and pneumonla, uttth po;rtlcular focus ln reduclng disparittes in heqlth outcomes.
fuaernment should reduce htgh cost of treatment bg adoptlng and lmplementlng a health lnsurance scheme that extends coaerage to the lnformal sector, lout income household qnd lndhiduals, people wtth dtsobllltles, the elderlg and other lnerable groups and the MOH should fast track prorrlslon natlonal I pollcg W 7l age J {8,.

6.0 STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN THE SOCTAL DEVELOPMENT SECTOR 6.1 Introduction Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.


Members, the Social Development Sector is responsible for mobilizing and empowering communities to harness their potential, while protecting the rights of vulnerable and marginalized groups within population.

It promotes cultural growth, non-formal skills development, labor productivity and gender responsive development, while focusing on reducing vulnerability associated to being or becoming poor.
In addition, the Sector aims at redressing imbalances to eliminate discrimination and inequalities against any individual or group of persons and also take affirmative action focusing on the Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGE) Programme, the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) and Uganda women entrepreneurship programme (UWEP).

{s L 6.2 Social Assistance Grant for Empowerment (SAGEI Programme 6.2.7.
Keg Obsentations on Implemcntatlon of SAGE a| Delay in Remittance of Grants to the Beneficiaries According to SAGE programme guidelines, the cash transfer payments to the beneficiaries are supposed to be on a monthly basis.

However, it was observed that there are delays in remittance of funds and older persons have to wait ts would be received.

75.1o/o of SAGE with no certainty on when the ts were not being made as beneficiaries reported that communicated timelines.
For this the older persons face discrimina and marginalization which affects well-being.

bf Long Illaiting Time During Cash Payment of Grantslong waiting time o A as a challenge Bank tlv, in districts mobile van ope of Pader, rates in a Nakasongola and Kole.

district during payment.

It }.


18 lPage Hfl was observed that various beneficiaries in different assembly centres are scheduled for payment on the same day and there are cases of non-fulfilment of the schedule due to delays at certain centres leading to rescheduling.
cf Reliance on National ldentification Data to Select Beneficiaries The reliance on national identification data to select beneficiaries can lead to discrimination of some older persons particularly those that have not yet been registered for a National ID as well as those that registered but have not yet received their IDs due to technical errors regarding names and dates of birth.
On several occasions some older persons are turned away due to causes associated with lack of National IDs and or errors therein.

Worse still, these older persons had limited knowledge /awareness on how they could go about the process to rectify the anomalies and the Committee observed that other people's fingers print cannot be captured hence IDs were not given to them.
dl Criteria for Selecting of Beneficiaries The criteria for selecting beneficiaries of the grant is age based (oldest 100 per sub county) and does not take into consideration the varying levels of vulnerability among the older persons - especially the chronically poor, gender, disability and those with terminal illnesses among others.
N. ef Low Operational Funds for Mobilization and Sensitization The programme does not provide adequate funds to mobilise and sensitize ,n.ll eligible beneficiaries both at district and sub coun ty levels and the funds are 6, Yfii released late every quarter.

\ High Public Demand for National Rollout and the The SAGE scheme enjoys overwhelming support among be public across the country.
However, due to fiscal constraints, the current rollout plan will only ties in 40 new districts over the next 5 8 19 lPage g$ N &years in addition to 146 sub counties in the 15 pilot districts leaving a total of 696 sub counties in the remaining 57 districts.

As a result, the current SAGE rollout plan has been challenged as inequitable.
Recommendation i MGLSD should roll out the SAGE progrdmme to coaer all dlstricts ln the country to ensure o,ll older persons equltablg access and benefit from the progromme.

A more elqborate plan should be speclJied to shout uhen old,er persons ln the other remalnlng 62 distrlcts utlll benefit from the grant for equltg reastons.

ii The trulnerabllitg leael of older persons should be consld,ered during tdentitlcatlon and.

enrolment of benefi.clarles so thait prtorttg is accorded to the most impouertshed.
and/or trulnerable older Persons in the communitg such as the phgsicallg disabled, tenninallg ill and the chronicallg poor.

In addltlon, the households uhere these older persons come from ought to also be prtorltlzed to access, parttcipate and benefit from other deaelopment programmes such ors Wealth Creation, PRBLNOR and flusAr.
iii There is need to decentro speclal uerlfication & exercise of national ID details for older persons in the Thts utlll enqble reaalldatlon of data partlcularlg for those reported utrong informatlon as well qs those that falled to durlng the process o.,f Natlonal rdentttg Card Reglstratlon for one req.son or another.

Thts process utlll allout for older persons to come on board to access and beneflt from the cdsh transfer grants of ohich theg cannot access utlthout natlonq.l ID.
iv Mlntstry of lnternal affalrs should provlde alternqtlaes to finger print reglstration ln ccses uhere the finger prlnt does not uork for a person person does not ho;ae ffngers and/or persons wtth appearances or other fonns of dtsabilttg should be uhere the NIRA NW-- sgstem fails.

20 lPage 9r J s) X wft.


v To lmproae beneficlarles' experlence of utattlng tlme to recelue the grants, the progromme should conslder lncreq.sing the number of pag centres q.s well as lmprorfing punctualltg on agreed tlmellness for pagnents.

Other o;pproo,ches could also be explored lncludtng grouplng benefi.clarles ln q. gluen locatlon and phastng the pagments oaer q number of dags.
vi The dlstrlbutlon polnts should at least be at the parlsh lerrel other than the sub countg headquarters uthtch are usuallg far from uthere some of the older person's homes are located.

A uldespread qnd rellqble dtstrlbutton netutorlc is therefore requlred to reduce the cost of access for benefi,ciarles.
vi Llnkages to other soclal setttlces should be mqde to leuerage the cash transfer and help ensttre the beneficlqrles are accessing baslc settices and the CDOs should tdenttfg and support older persons ln need of home-based care, psgchosoclal suppott qnd other tgpes of follout-up.

vtt The operatlonal funds to undertake moblllsatlon and sensltlsatlon acthrltles should be enhanced.
Thts utlll enable the dlstrict and sub-countg leuel reo,ch out to older persons .for moblllsatlon, sensltlsatlon and, enrolment onto the programme.

ix The progrqmme should lmproae on conslstencg for release of the fands and qccordlnglg mo.ke ttmclg commurr;lco;tlon to the targeted beneficlaries.

.2 The Youth Livelihood Program I $ x The Youth Livelihood programme was designed by the Government of Uganda in response to the high prevailing unemployment and povert5r levels among the youth.
The programme is intended to empower the youth to harness their self-employment opportunities and poten k lPag *$ income levels through skills development and support for income generating activities initiated by the youth.

YLP is one of the avenues government is using to uplift the livelihoods of the youth.

Implementation of the Youth Livelihood Programme commenced in FY 2Ol3l14 and was conducted in a phased manner.
Phase I of the programme covered 27 districts and commenced in the FY 2073114 while Phase II, covered the 85 remaining districts in the FY 2014 I 15.

In the FY 20 16l 17 , the programme was extended to cover the four newly created districts at that time.

Keg Obsetttatlons i.

Support rendered to the youth groups It is reported by the Commission that 82o/o of the programme beneficiaries confirmed receipts of support from the programme implementers especially the sub county CDOs.
The support included; sensitisation, writing proposals, filling in the required documentations as all applicants would be given necessary training without discrimination.

11.

Involvement of all ca groups of targeted marginalized youth Involvement of the targeted vulnerable and marginalized groups was below average.

For instance, female participation was 460/u youth with disabilities (2.8%1.
Other affected categories include; School dropouts, Youth living in slums, city streets, high risk and impoverished communities, Youth that have not had the opportunity to attend formal education, Single parent youth, Youth Living with HIV/AIDS and Youth who have completed secondary school or ommittee field visits, it tertiary institutions (including university).
found out that generally very few PWD members as the on gender put more em the C n 22 Page , the level of involvement of the poor youth was low due to the high costs involved in formation and registration of the groups.
For example, The Chairperson of Rushoroza East Youth Piggery project in Sheema district informed the Commission audit team that: oOn auerage ue spent around 600,000/= on ttrc whole process of registering the group, some of the uery poor gouth were not in position to meet th.e expenses that were inuolued in the processes of registration especiallg those in ttrc rural areas.
This conseEtentlg rendered their inuoluement and benefit in tlrc programme uery low yet tlrcy were among the intended primary targeted beneficiaries."

iii.

Group dynamics and active participation The Commission reported that some of the youth groups came together for convenience.
For example; in one the youth groups, in Kasese District, Kisinga Sub-county, funds for the programme were received and utilized by the group chairperson and treasurer without the knowledge of other members since the group members were not actively participating in the group project activities.
The CDO Kisinga reported thus: \.f'> 'Tlrc chairperson Youth Council mobilized a group, in uthich he made his wife the chairperson and when th.e moneA came theg exclusiuely used it on personal uentures without tlrc knowledge of the other members that were included in the group and anrently most of the group members were being detained at tlrc police station for non repagment".

iv.
iv.

Involvement of female youths The Commission team reported that the female fairly represented on the youth interest groups (YIGs) however; the female youth active involvement is still low that is sion making processes and management of Nk 23 lPag e *&Rr enterprises.

It was reported their names are usually presented for purposes of meeting the criteria and registration only.
v. Lack of commitment amongst some group members During the interactions with some youth groups, it was reported that many youth do not have the spirit of working together and lack commitment to ensure sustainability due to high expectations and lack of commitment to group objectives.

For example in Moyo district, a group of 15 people was left with two members vi.
Inadequate Funding for Proposed projects One of the key requirements for accessing the YLP funds by youth groups is for them to prepare detailed business plans and proposed budgets for their projects of interest.

Information received indicated that the bulk of youths, groups had received less funds than they had actually requested for as per their business plans.

Districts put a ceiling on the amount each group was to receive and work with irrespective of their budgets.
Equally noted was the fact $ that there were delayed remittances and thus delayed projects.

The issue inadequate funding was the reason most cited by groups as to w they were not performing well.

!

vii.

Performance of urban vis-i-vis Rural youths Groups .It was observed that youths located in urban areas/trading centers had higher access to the YLP funds and were also registering more progress in the initiated projects as compared to their rural counterparts.
This was attributed to the flexibility and ease in accessing information as well as their exposure and ties to business enterprises.

It was also noted that in urban/trading of youths of Communit5r their rural centers mobilization was easy because compared to villages where youths are Development Officers could concentration d. Besides, than reach ur 241 age (6v viii.
Recovery of the funds On the 30ft of June, 2017, UGX 16,020,355,532 was due for repayment, out of which only UGX 12,102,485,467 had been recovered.

This reveals that many of the districts have challenges in recovering the funds with majority of the youth determined not to pay back the funds.
For example one of the key informants in Kasambya sub-county reported that; repayment is still a big challenge among the youth since they expect handouts from Government thus treating the YLP as a handout from the regime.

ix.

Rigidity in guidelines on group membership The programme guidelines provide for groups to be composed of 10-15 members all between 18-30 years of age from within the same community/village.
The youth beneficiaries in some of the districts especially in the rural areas claimed that they had challenges in forming village groups with the required number of members who share common interest.

-.T.

N. d' x x. Nleged mismanagement of funds by some implemeuters & beneficiaries at LG level The programme has documented emerging cases of misappropriation of funds by some district and or sub county staff as well as Youths Interest Groups.
For instance, it was reported that the sub county technical staff tend to manipulate the process by registering hon-existent' groups but with very good documentation.

These are often run as personal businesses with regular repayments but instead deprive the targeted beneficiaries from collectively benefiting for the YLP.

xi.
xi.

Involvement of Youth with disabilities '---The overall participation of youth with disabilities was reported at 2.8o/o compared to the overall national percentage share of 8.5% youths with ousing and ties in the age group 18-30 as per 2Ol4 nal H pulation census M- Page w- ssC S-D It's important to note that the guidelines for the Youths Livelihood program provide for the involvement of youths with disabilities when constituting groups, but with no clear threshold of affirmative action.
Recommendations i The Mintstry of GLSD should ensure that YLP gutdelines are retleuted to protide .for a speclfic threshold for gouth uttth dtsabllities.

For aaoldqnce of doubt, at least 5% of beneficiarles should be goutlr.s wtth dtsabtltties.

The tralning should focus on enterprise selection and management.

ii The Mlntstry of GLSD should ensure tho,t the yLp tralnlng and.
sensitisation Programme be utldened to includ,e all the beneficlarles ln the respectiae Youth Interest Groups especiallg for the gouth ln ntral/hard to reach o;reo,s.

iii The Minlstry of GLSD should ensure that programme documents - tralning modules and, guld,elfnes are slmpltfied and translated.

ln uarlous languages, approprlate mod,es so Gts to target o.ll the beneficlarles.

iv The Ministry of GLSD should that the programme success.
;ful local entrepreneurs to mold the gouth tnto fie of thetr cholce through apprenticeshlp programme before theg lefi to independentlg ntn thelr affalrs.

v The Mtnlstry of GIS.D should revislt the criterta of group slze to q. smaller number sag 5-8 members and aLso be flexible on,.

of the group to extend begond tillage to at least lnnohrcment and )-.

parlsh leueL Thts wlll boost more parttctpo;tlon.

The Ministry of GLSD should and clear communlcate to the and feedbqck 26 lPage H4- mecho;nlsms.
Thts larlll enho;nce accountabllttg qnd effecttae p r o g r dmme lmp le me ntqtlo n. vn The Mtntstry oJi GLSD should.

undeftq.ke perlodlc and tlmelg dlssemlnatlon/sharlng of tnfonno;tlon on q qudrterlg basls on programme lmplementatlon to q,ll releaant stakeholders to bulld confi.dence and enhonce ulslbllttg among the publtc.
vu The Mtnistry of GUSD should with effect from subsequent eng@gement ensure sensitlzatlon of the gouth beneficiarles utlth emphasls to lmpact c{t opposed to recouery/repagment of the funds dlsbursed.

Thts would qaert reported sltuations where some gouth groups refused to ptck the funds ln fear of reprlscls such crs lmprlsonment upon fallure to pag back.

ix Youth uenture caplto,l funds should al.so be streamllned at the dlstrlct qnd msde knoun to the dlstrlct msndgement and targeted beneficlaries.
Thts ls necessary to annld the cutrent sltuo;tlon uhere upon tnqutry on the programmq Commlttee Members urere referred to Centenqry Bo;nk, lmplgtng that dtstrlct leadershtp had no knoutledge or control uthatsoeuer qbout the programme operatlons.
G/ -{\tO 6.3 Uganda trIomen Entrepreneurship Programme ([IWEP) The Uganda Women Entrepreneurship Programme (UWEP) is an initiative of the Government of Uganda that is aimed at improving access to financial services by women and equipping them with skills for enterprise growth, value addition and marketing of their products and services in a concerted address gender inequality to c within the age The primary target beneficiaries bracket of 18-65 years.
The assumption is that those beyond 65 years are/will Grants for Empowerment (SAGE) under the S be catered amme Page rsk Programme.

The female youth already benefiting from YLP are not considered as beneficiaries for UWEP.

Key Obsenrations i.

The programme has eased access to financial services for women without collateral security like assets which has helped improve their livelihoods.
In addition, reports received from the groups indicated that women have been able to contribute to the management of their homes for instance paying school fees for their children and generally improving the quality of life.

ii.

Committee noted Partial ro11 out of the UWEP activities.

It was observed that not all municipalities and districts were accessing institutional support.

By the end of FY 2ol6/L7, only 72 districts and 22 municipalities were accessing the funds to directly support women projects.
At the end of the reporting period, 44 districts and tg municipalities were not receiving funds to support women's projects.

iii.

The demand is very high and the resource envelop that was availed in the financial year 2016/17 was low.

The Programme had only been able to fund \Oo/o to I5%o of the groups that had applied.

A case in point is Rukungiri district whereby 320 groups applied only 24 had been supported.

iv.
iv.

There are complex processes involved in bank accounts with minimum bank opening balances which slows down the pace at which women open their accounts.

Hence, women groups in some districts find it difficult to open bank accounts.

v. The documentation is too much and tremendou sly complicated for .

Women always plementers who are groups.


A lo some CDOs were vulnerable and especially rural women to com need technical support and supervision from inadequate and hence fail to reach out to questions were being asked and in the end conversant such flow details of lP W vi.
There is no disaggregated data showing levels of access to the programme funds by the targeted beneficiaries -unemployed women vulnerable groups such as single young mothers, widows and Gender- based Violence (GBV) survivors, women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS, women heading households, women slum dwellers, women living in hard to reach areas and ethnic minorities benefiting from UWEP.
It is hard to disaggregate available information to ascertain the extent to which the targeted groups were participating despite the intention to reach out to all the above mentioned groups.

Recommendations i The @uernment should Iulfrll the commltment of maklng TOOo/o releq.se of funds to MGLSD for t WEP so that more u)omen can be enrolled to parAlclpate and, benefit from thls intettrentlon.
ii The Programme should carry out fiurre qurareness raislng sensitisatlon and encourqge uoman to dtaersifg buslness enterprlses that proulde high return on lnuestment.

iii The documentatlon should be slmpllfied qnd translqted ln uqrlous languages so as to reach out to the vulnerq.ble ntral groups, non- elltes among others since theg are among the mo;ln target groups of the programme.

iv The Mtntstry of Gender Labor and Socicl deuelopment should dlsaggregate dqtq.
q.s much cs posslble so as to show hout the targeted trulnerqble qnd marglnallsed u)omen (unemploged women, trulnerable groups e.g.
slngle goung mothers, utldouts qnd knder- based Vlolence (GBW surtrluors, u)omren utth dlsabllltles, uromen Itulng utth HIV/AIDS, utomen headlng households, utomen slum duellers, utomen ltulng ln hard to reach o;reo,s and ethnlc minoritles) are farlng uttth regard to access to the programma v The Mlntstry of Gender should, lntentene bg holdtng partnershlp cheque books eaen banks to enable haae a dr/ lPage w urith soilrllags o;ccounts as utell ds openlng for utomen groups bank uttth no minlmum balqnce.
Relatedrg, mechanlsm.s should.

be put ln place to allout utomen groups from dlstrtcts uttth llmtted, commerclal banklng senfces to use the settices of mlcro deposlt taking institttttons and, SACCOs.

6.4 state of Physical Accessibility to Built-up Environment The Government of the Republic of Uganda has demonstrated commitment to ensure physical accessibility to the built-up environment as an integral part of making a barrier free society and addressing the accessibility needs of all persons.
The built-up environment determines the level of access to services participation and benefit from national development and information and communication by persons with different abilities such as children, the sick, expectant mothers, persons with disabilities, and older persons.

Despite government efforts to establish a conducive environment for participation of persons with different abilities in all spheres of life, they still face difficulties when accessing the built-up environment.
Most public roads markets, shopping malls, schools, banks, courts, hospitals, places of worship sports facilitigs, places of emplo5rment, cultural sites and other business public buildings/offices do not meet the basic accessibility standards affect universal access and equal enjoyment of the various services.
Report by the Equal Opportunities Commission to Parliament indicated that the Commission conducted an audit on the status of physical accessibility to the built-up environment in the following places; Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, High Court of Uganda, Kampala, Kampala City Council Authority Kiruddu General Referral Hospital, primary Taxi Parks Roads/walkways, Shopping findings are summarized below.

places and Churches.

+qM lPage Ngf 6.4.1 Parliament of the Republic of Uganda 1.
11 111 iv The tactile markings should be fixed at the beginning of the ramp at the main entrance to enable easy identification by the visually impaired persons.

The stairs/steps should be supported by handrails to give extra support or balance to Persons with physical impairment that leads to movement difficulties.

Although the institution has reserved toilets for PWDs, the interior space for the toilet at the lobby is small for the wheelchair users and inadequate.
Therefore for any new facilities, the interior space should be increased to the turning diameter of 15ocm in line with the accessibility standards and be increased to at least two in number.

The new chambers under construction should take care of this requirement.

Hand rails should be installed inside the lifts of the Parliamentary building so as to provide support to the persons using the lifts.

The key pad of the lift should also be brailed to enable easy reading by the visually impaired.
6.4.2 High Court of Uganda, Kampala I High Court should construct a toilet designated specifically for PWDs.

It should have the universally accepted symbol for wheelchair access displayed outside and supplemented by a text in embossed letters or in Braille.

The Corridors inside the public toilet should be of minimum width of 1.5m wide.

There should be good lighting in the toilet room and the floor surface within the toilet should be of nonslip materials.
High Court should designate a parking space for PWDs.

The parking space should be as close as possible to the main entrance and should be connected to an accessible pathway to the building.

The parking space should be marked by the international symbol of accessibility as sign post and be painted as well.

-Mtr 3 lPage $, d'/ (8^ iii A ramp should be constructed adjacent to the stairs within the corridors to ease movement for PWDs within the court premises.
court should construct an accessible ramp with handrails on both sides at the main entrance to ease accessibility by all Persons including PWDs.

v A tactile marking should be laid both on the interior and exterior stairs of High Court to enable easy identification of the start and end points of the stairs by the visually impaired.
vi High Court should put up signs to direct the PWDs on the alternative entrance at the back of High Court where a temporary ramp is usually placed for them to ease access to the building.

vii The double leaf doors in High Court premises should be always open to enable easy access by wheelchair users.
viii For any new structures, High court should take into consideration the 1. ll.F c - lv accessibility guidelines so as to ease access by PWDs 6.4.3 Kampala Citg Council Authoritg X KCCA should construct an accessible ramp at the main entrance to City Hall building to ease access for all especially Persons with Disabilities.

It is recommended that handrails be set up at the outdoor steps/stairs at the main entrance.
Modifications should be made on the ramp at the alternative entrance to add standard fea tures such as; handrails and landing area to ease$ access for PWDs.

Appropriate measures should be to the chamber hall.

The steps at limit accessl s with users for PersonM t to ensure easy access for entrance to the chamber especially wheel chair 32l P age w. 6.4.4 Ktrttddu kneral Referral Hospltal i.

It is recommended that the hospital designates a parking space specifically for PWDs.
The parking space should be as close as possible to the building entrance and should be connected with an accessible pathway to the entrance of the building.

The parking space should be marked by the international symbol of accessibility as a sign post and be painted as well.

ii.

The PWD toilet ought to be modified taking into consideration the standards as per the UNAPD physical accessibility guidelines particularly with regard to the sitting position, toilet paper holders and handrails in the toilets.
iii.

A tactile marking with distinguished colors should be placed at the beginning and end of the ramp to alert persons with visual impairments in change of direction.

iv.

The step rise and the step run should be in different contrasting colors, to enable persons with visual impairment identify one step from the other.

v. It is recommended that double leaf doors be always opened to enable easy access by wheelchair users.
6.4.5 Primary schools (al Buganda Road Primary School The Commission recommends construction of ramps to ease access by all persons including Persons with Disabilities to all the building at Buganda Road Primary school.

ii.

The school should have disabilities.

that are specific for People with W 33 lPage w iii.

The main gate should have a side way that can be used by all persons including persons with disabilities, other than climbing the alternative steep stairs.

iv.
iv.

There should be computers in the computer rab with JAws software to help visually impaired learners and teachers.

(bl Bat Valley Primary School i.

The commission recommends construction of ramps to ease access by all persons including Persons with Disabilities to all the buildings at the school.

ii.

There should be a designated toilet(s) for learners and teachers who have physical Disabilities.
(cl Greenhill Academy Primary School- Kibuli steps to the second floor of the administration block should be refurbished with new tactile and be provided with hand rails.

The school should provide a toilet for Persons with Disabilities.

It should also make some modifications and replace the steps on the entrances to classrooms with ramps w 6.4.6 Taxi Parks (al New Taxi Park The Commission strongly recommends for the users of the taxi park.

to construct walk ways ii.


KCCA should ,construct waiting shades to ease accessibility by PWDs, children, expectant mothers and the older persons iii.

iii.

KCCA should ensure that the toilet for PWDs a store serves the purpose for which it was utilised iv.

The al ve dt a., age -ffi^ v. The pavements in the park should be modified to cater for all categories of people including persons with disabilities when boarding the taxis.

(bl Old Taxi Park i.


Modify the entrances to the tax park to ensure their accessibility by all especially to persons with difficulties, children and expectant mothers.

The modification should take into consideration of Ramps at the entrances with hand rails to help the older persons, children, expectant mother and persons with disabilities.

1I.

llt.

iv.

v Parking spaces for the taxis should be demarcated in such a way that it allows free movement of people within the park.
The existing steps should have side ramps.

KCCA should have toilets that are specific for People with disabilities.

Waiting shaded for the disadvantaged individuals or groups of individuals should be constructed.

vi.

The existing steps should have tactile markings to help the visually impaired individuals.

6.4.7 Roadsfitlalkwags (al Kampala Road 1. ll.

There should be curb ramps along allow easy access to their entrances by the wheelchair users.
on all the building to It is recommended that curb ramps be provided at both sides of the zebra crossings.

iii.

There should be audio at the traffic lights to alert the visually impaired pedes safely.

-Mx \N Pag (---/ {R" iv.

The flower pots that are placed on the pavements along the road should be removed to allow free mobility of all the pedestrians including those with physical disabilities.
v. Pathways/pavements along the road should be filled with tactile clues like Braille blocks as route finders for the blind.

(bl Yusuf Lule Road i.

Curb ramps along Yusuf Lule road are missing.

It is recommended they be fixed at crossing points for free mobility of wheelchair users.

ii.

Pavements along Yusuf Lule Road should be filled with tactile markings to support the visually impaired persons.

6.4.8 Rubaga Cathedral i.


The church should construct toilets for Persons with disabilities with all the physical accessibility standards I ii.

The ramps at both sides of the main entrance should have standard hand rails to support the children, the older persons, the expectant mothers and persons with disabilities 9i S} iii.

The parking place should have spaces marked for persons with help them avoid sary lnconvenlence disabilities.
This will caused by other users The new building adjacent to the ch (intended museum) has a ramp but lacking hand rails.

Hand rails with varying heights should be fixed to support persons with disabili expectant mothers and the children older 6.4.9 Shopping places (al Complex #- w. i.

It is recommended that signposts that are always placed at the entrance be removed to allow free access by all persons including persons with disabilities ii.
The slippery tiles at the entrance should be replaced by the rough ones to avoid accidents iii.

A ramp should be provided at the entrance to help those with physical impairment to access the building iv.

The tiles on the interior steps should also be replaced by the rough ones v. Office doors on the upper floors should be labeled in contrasting colors and their handles be placed at the comfortable height of 1O-11Ocm vi.
It is recommended the building provides toilets specific for persons with disabilities vii.It is recommended that spaces for persons with disabilities be designated in the parking yard and enough light be provided in the same place (b) Ham Towers i.

The cab stop that is at the entrance of Ham Towers should be relocated to ensure connection to the interior ramp so that the wheelchair users can easily access the ramp ii.
The steps at the entrances should be filIed with tactile markings and the slippery tiles on the steps be replaced by the rough ones iii.

Surface tiles in the corridors which are slippery should also be replaced with rough ones which are for convenient for Persons with Disabilities The mall should provide toilets that meet the needs of Persons with Disabilities -, v It is recommended that the two lifts in the mall be fixed with JAWS to help in alerting the visually impaired users W- 3 lPa e * vi.
The hand washing basins in men's urinals are high limiting their utilisation by the children and Persons with Disabilities (cl Wandegeya Market i.

It is highly recommended that an access road be constructed from the main road (Wandegeya round about) to the market ii.

The missing tactile markings on the ramps both at the entrance and inside the market should be fixed to assist the visually impaired iii.
The raised pavement that prohibits connection of the ramp at the main entrance with the immediate pathway should be removed to allow easy movement of people especially those with disabilities iv.
There is a missing rail in the middle of the ramp at the entrance and this should be fixed to support the movement/access of the older persons, the expectant mothers, the children and Persons with Disabilities v. The interior doors in the toilet rooms are not labeled with a signage for Persons with Disabilities vi.

Parking Places for Persons with Disabilities should be marked x 6.4.10 Centenary Bank, Mapeera Branch q. l. rl.
l1l The pavement at the main road from city square entrance should be modified with at least a ramp to ease access to the entrance of the bank premises as well as facilitate easy movement from the road by PWDs especially those with wheelchairs.

The bank should designate, clearly paint and mark off the par space for PWDs with the international symbol of accessibility.
The glass door towards the lift area should be clearly marked in contrasting colors and a clear signage should be set up to notify the of where the lifts are located rt$5- w 38 lP a8 Nft lv.

v The ramps should be modified and located in the continuation of an accessible pathway leading to the entrance for purposes of easily accessibility to the bank by Persons with Disabilities.

The toilet door for PWDs should be modified with a pull L-shaped handle that is easy to operate and grip with one hand.
Equally the hand dryer/liquid soap outlet should be placed at an approximate height of O.SOm from the floor surface.

vi.

The step at the ATM section should be modified to ease access to the ATM machines for PWDs.

uP.
W I I 3eI Pag w. 7.O COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS AT{D RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS CONTAINED IN THE REPORT 7.I MINISTRY OF HEALTH 7.L.L State of Physical Accessibility to Built-up Environment The EOC recommended that tle Ministry of Health should prouide and freEtently renouate Dbabilitg-friendly facilities such as ramps, adjustable beds, wheel chairs and sanitation should be prouided and freEtentlg renouated in atl extsting and fufiire he alth facilities Committee Obsenrations and Recommendations The Committee noted that access and utilization of health services is inhibited by lack of appropriate physical facilities such as ramps, adjustable beds especially in labor wards, wheel chairs and disability-friendly environment and sanitation facilities in hospitals.
It is also observed that many hospitals and health centers have challenges of physical accessibility to built-up environment hence the aged, the sick and persons with disability find it difficult to access services in such places.

& \Y The Committee recommends tkat Disability-friendly facilities such as ramps, adjustable beds, wheel chairs and sanitation should be provided and frequently renovated in all existing and future health facilities.
Ramps which are so steep and/or without handrails as cited at Budaka Health Centre IV should be avoided.

q\ 6 7.L.2 Training and Use of Sign Language The EOC comp that the Ministry Health programme to train medical deuelop a language in the 40 lPa \ qE- health sector to improue on the communication abilities for persons with hearing impairments.
In addition, the Ministry should mainstream disabilitg in their au)areness campaigns in order to reduce on th.e negatiue attifiides exhibited in most health centers towards PWDs.

Obsenrations and Recommendations Committee noted that Most of the health workers have limited understanding and use of sign language which makes it quite difficult for them to attend to some of the PWDs especially those patients with hearing and speech impairments.
It was equally noted that, it would be futile to subject all health personnel to training in sign language, yet there are sign language professionals in the country.

The Committee further observed that since most health workers could not communicate effectively with persons with hearing and speech impairments chances are high of cases that may result into maltreatment and discrimination of PWDs.
The Committee recommends that the Ministry of Health should include in its structure startiug FY 2O2O|2L, at least one sign language interpreter at each and every health facility to assist in communication with F[II)s. Sign Language Interpreters should also be deployed during information dissemination and outreach programmes.
V.1.3 Lack of Ambulances EOC reported that Majonty of the di"strict lrcalth lack proper means of transport - ambulances for the patient's especiallg expectant mothers and those with emergencA cases who in some to be referred to ot?rcr health M A Ir } \/1 Y-o W. facilities.

It recommended appropriate means of transport to be prouided at lrc alth facilitie s for hnndling emerg encA cases.
Committee Observations and Recommendations - The committee observed that most health facilities lack appropriate means of transport for purposes of handling emergency cases and that most ambulances are grounded due to poor maintenance.

In other cases, the health facilities could not afford fuel for the vehicle and fuel bills and driver's allowances are expected to be borne by the patient.
Besides, some of the so called 'ambulances' are just pickup trucks with little or no appropriate facilities to handle emergency cases.

It is grossly inappropriate for Ministry of Health to surrender this crrrcial life-saving function to private players such as currently being done by Members of Parliament in most constituencies visited 5' by the Committee across the country.
This private arrangement raises issues of sustainability The Committee recommends that appropriate ambulance senrices be provided to all health facilities at level IV and above for purposes of handling emergenty cases.

The Committee further recommends that a national coordinated and well facilitated ambulance senrice system be established by Ministry of Health.
The Minister of Health should lay before Parliament, a comprehensive plan to operationalize the National Am Senzice System across the country in the coming Iinancial Committee on Health should ensure that this is priori 2O2Ol2L.

tize the FY 7.L.4 Lack of 'No Queue Policy' for recommended that a no queue policg should be established to ease h seruices bg older personS lffir and PWDs.
42lPa e lack of special consideration for older persons at The committee "om health facilities; often times, older persons have to wait in long queues to access health services despite their frail conditions The Committee recommends that 'no queue policy' should be established to ease access to health care senrices by older persons and PWDs.

There is need for affirmative action in this regard.
7.L.5 Lack of Specialized Senrices and Essential Drugs EOC recommended that the health facilities slnuld be fullg equipped with appropriate drugs and personnel to prouide specialized seruices for t?Le marginalized and uulnerable groups.
Committee Obsenrations and Recommendations ( It is important to note that majority of the health facilities across the country lack access to specialized treatment, personnel andl or services for marginalized and vulnerable groups such as older person, children, youths and albinos.

It should also be noted that some drugs and services are not considered essential, yet they are essential to a certain marginalized group.
For instance sunscreen lotions for albinos are essential for their survival, yet our health system does not categorize them as such.

e Committee recommends that the health facilities should be fully d with appropriate drugs and personnel to provide specialized for the marginalized and vulnerable groups such as geriatricians for the older persons, psycho-social support senrices for youths, nutrition senrices for older persons aud children and sunscreens for Nbinos.
s>-_J It is also recommended that the Ministry of Health should reclassify for the sunrival of essential s and drugs to include those essentialM lPa e /) s^ marginalized groups such as elderly, PWDs, children, and albinos; including injectable for expectant mothers and anesthetics.
7.1.6 Low Proportion of National Budget Appropriated for Health BOC recommended that gouernment should increase healthfinancing to 15% of the national budget in line utith Uganda's commitment under the Abuja Declaration and ensure auailable resources are effectiuelg utilized to improue the qtalitg of health care across the Country.

Observations and Recommendations The Committee observed that there was Limited financing of health care which negatively impacts on the quality of health services.
Many health facilities, particularly in rural areas lack essential medicines, necessary core staff and are not offering care in line with clinical guidelines.

In addition, the percentage of budget appropriated for health dwindles especially when massive infrastructural projects come to completion.

It would be prr.rdent that such relieved funds should be deployed under the sector to augment service delivery in the hitherto strained areas.

Committee noted, however, that this has not always been the case.
Realizing that if government was to implement through, all declarations signed and/or adopted by government of Uganda, the total percentages would far exceed lOO%.

The Committee recommends that Government should increase health financing by 1 basis points each year in the medium term so as to ensure steady progress towards the 15% of the national budget in line with Uganda's commitment under the Abuja Declaration.

{r +s In addition, Ministry of Health ensure that e Country.
dto s are health care across the 441 Pag Wft.

7.2 MINISTRY OF ENDER, LABOUR AND DEVELOPMENT EOC recommended that the uulnerabtlitg leuel of older persons should be considered during identification and enrolment of beneficiaies under SAGE so that pioritg is accorded to tle most impouerislrcd and/ or rrulnerable older persons in tLrc communitg such as the phgsicallg disabled, the terminallg ill and tle chronicallg poor.
In addition, EOC recommended that households where these older persons come from ought to also be prioritized to access participate and benefit from other deuelopment Programmes such as Operation Wealth Creation and /VUSAF.
Obsenrations and Recommendations The Committee observed that the criteria for selecting beneficiaries of the Senior Citizen Grants is age based - oldest 100 persons per sub county hence it does not take into consideration the varying levels of vulnerability among the older persons - especially the chronically poor, gender, disability and those with terminal illnesses among others.
t- The Committee recommends that the vulnerability level of older persons should be considered during identification and eurolment of SAGE beneficiaries so that priority is accorded to the most impoverished and/or rnrlnerable older persons iu the community such as the physically disabled, terminally ill, widows/widowers and the chronically poor.
It is also recommended that the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development should demonstrate unwavering commitment that SAGE programme will be rolled on in a cascading manner such that the age of access will be lowered by 5 in each of the subsequent financial years so as to attain fLfi' 2o.2;d124.&'- at age tr'Y G 45 Pag dv EOC recommended that SAGE should ctearlg articulate a framework of reaching out to all older persons in the country to fu\g access tlw grants with ease.
It was therefore recommended that a uidespread and reliable distibution network should be established to reduce tlrc cost of access and inconueniences to the beneficiaries.
Observations and Recommendations Whereas EOC reported that the SAGE programme ro11 out plan showed coverage of older persons in only 55 districts in FY 20 19 l20 without any clear framework to reach out to older persons in all other districts the country, information received from MoGLSD indicates that the programme has since been planned for nationwide rollout, albeit age for the beneficiaries increased from 65 to 85 years.
It was also reported that there will be a reduction in enrollment age by 5 years per financial year such that by the fourth year of nationwide rollout f coverage, all senior citizens aged 65 and above fully covered under the programme.

Committee further noted that whereas new enrollment age was increased, those who are already enrolled on the programme would not be affected.
There is therefore a likelihood of resentment on the part of those senior citizens aged between 65 and 80 from those districts to be newly enrolled onto the programme.

This policy shift will not augur well with all those senior citizens who have eagerly awaited nationwide rollout.
It was noted as well that inability to put into consideration vulnerability, coupled with the fact that there is high chance that many sub-counties and/ or constituencies will be knocked out of the programme, for lack of persons aged 80 plus.
Besides, wonders the motivation behind policy shift in a country where life is male 60.2 and female 64.8 according WHO data published in 2018 to clJ+ The Committee recommends that nationwide coverage should for the 1OO per sub-county putting in 46 lPage a, v account vulnerability.

This will help avoid the current situation where some pensioners double as SAGE beneficiaries and also bring about equity.
In the event that equity cannot be achieved due to subjectivity in determining rnrlnerability, the rollout programme should be stricqy followed such that by the FY 20123 124, SAGE progranme has a nationwide coverage of all those persons aged 65 plus and 6O plus for Karamoja Sub region.

EOC recommended that a widespread and.

reliabte distribution network s?nuld be established to reduce the cost of access and inconueniences to the beneficiaries.

A widespread and reliable distribution nehtork should.
be established to reduce the cost of access and.

inconueniences to the beneficiaries.

In addition, EOC recommended that tlte assembly centres for SAGE beneficiaies are uery distant for them and hence not easilg accessible get old.er persons are physically weak and ofien handicapped" bg other trulnerabilities such as terminal illness and phgsical disabilitg among others.
Obsenrations and Recommendations The committee was informed that there is on average, three (03) pay points/assembly centers for SAGE beneficiaries per sub-county which is inappropriate given age of the beneficiaries and transport costs involved.

It was also observed that various beneficiaries in different assembly centers are scheduled for payment on the same day leading to cases of non-fulfilment of the schedule due to delays at certain centers thus rescheduling.
The Committee recommends that a reliable payment schedule be established and maintained to avoid disappointments and long hours of wal that pay s on the part of 1S TlPage w to be in addi tion of data particularly ones face.

This for those that reported wrong information as well as those that failed to register during the process of National Identity Card registration.
Those who would wish to correct some errors and other distortions created at first registration for the national IDs should also be allowed to do so at no cost.

\ .

(ts -\/ .\ EOC also recommended that tlrc YLP training and sensitization Programmes should be widened to include all the beneficiaies in the respectiue Youth Interest Groups especiallg for the gouth in rural/hard to reach areas.
The YLP training and sensitization Programmes should be widened to include all the beneficiaries in the respectiue Youth Interest Groups especiallg for the youth in rural/hard to reach areas.

Committee Obsenrations and Recommendations The committee observed that whereas YLP guidelines provide thus; a) All tlrc beneficiaies will receiue training in entrepreneurship/business management skills, life skills, personal financeq group dgnamics and leadership skills.
Regular follow-up ufsits to offer technical support and aduisory seruices will be made by subject matter specialists; b) All the beneficiaries will receiue training in ttrcir respectiue project specific skflls such as Animal Health Managemen| Apiary Managemen\ and Value Addition; c) All beneficiaies of the Vocational Skills Deuelopment Component uill receiue basic start-up tool kits to enable them applA tte skills acquired; The above guidelines (a)-(c) had never been followed at all.
The Committee noted with concern that during implementation, only Chairperson, Treasurer and the Secretary of a YIG were being trained for half day.

The programme has no training manual andl or module.

This greatly compromises implementation and realization of programme objectives (i), (iii) and (iv) viz.

4W 49 lPage YLP Specific Objectives (t) To prouide youth with marketable uocational skflls and.
tool kits for self- $fl fo prouide financial support to enable the gouth establish Income employment and job creation.

Generating Actiuities (IGAs).

(iii)To Prouide the gouth with entrepreneurship and life skilts as an integral part of their liuelihoods (iu)To prouide gouth with releuant knowledge and information for attihtdinal change (positiue mindset change) It should be noted that the programme concentrated only on objective (ii) above, ignoring the other 75o/o of the objectives.
In fact there is no way objective (ii) could have yielded any tangible results in isolation.

The committee recommends that a Value for Money audit be carried out on the Programme with an intention of ascertaining as to whether the respective programme components have been adequately funded so as to realise programme objectives or othemrise and thus need for realignment.
The Committee farther recommends that YLP training and sensitization Programmes should be broadened to include all the beneficiaries in the respective youth interest groups and a training module on entrepreneurship/business skills be developed and incorporated in the programme implementation modalities.
It is also recommended that skills development monitoring component developed and included in the overall programme evaluation mec EOC recommended that the programme should reuisit criteria of group size to a to the group b ertend smaller number and also be flexible on begond uillage to at least t more This and n. 50 lPage % Obsenrations and Recommendations Some youth beneficiaries especially those in the rural areas forming village/community level groups with the required number sln bers (10-15 members each) who share common interest.
The Committee recommends that YLP implementers should revisit criteria of group size to a smaller number of 5-8 members and also be flexible on membership to the group to extend beyond village to at least parish level.

This will boost chances of coming up with an interest group for a specific youth project and thus group cohesion and more youth involvement and participation.
In its report, EOC reported that the Guidelines for the Youths Livelihood program provide for the involvement of youths with disabilities when constituting groups.

However, it's not binding and the only provided threshold takes care of females only (30%).

s/ J/ s DOC recommended that the YLP guidelines should be reuieued to prouide for a specific threshold for gouth with disabilities.

The YLP guidelines slwuld reuiew to prouide for a specific threshold for gouth with disabilities.
Committee Obsenrations and Recommendations It was observed that very few groups have PWD members and majority of the non-disabled youth do not easily associate with PWDs, only used them to fulfil the condition in the guidelines and ended up sidelining them in most cases.

Besides, PWDs were reported to be more comfortable associating with fellow PWDs, yet it is difficult to have an all PWDs Youth Interest Group (YIG) of 10- 15 members who are bona fide residents of a village.
The Committee recommends that the YLP guidelines should be reviewed for a specific r-4 for youth with disabilities.

ffi 51 lPage /- $ \y qv It is also commended that YLP guidelines should be amended to allow for smaller youth group of 5-8 members domiciled within a parish as opposed to 10-15 domiciled within a village as the guidelines runs currently.

This would enable youths with disabilities to form group(sl of their unique interests.
EOC recommended that the Ministry should interuene bg holding partnership meetings with t?rc bank to enable u)omen groups haue cheque books euen with sauings accounts and to open for utomen groups' bank accounts utith no minimum balance to ease on complex Bank processes and modalities.
Obsenrations and Recommendatioas The Committee observed that there are complex processes involved in opening bank accounts with high minimum bank opening balances which slows down the pace at which women can open their accounts.

Hence, women groups in some districts find it diflicult to open bank accounts.
The Committee recommends that the Ministry should intenrene by holding partnership meetings with the banks to enable TIWEP ^ beneficiaries have cheque books even with savings accounts and to ope for women groups' bank accounts with ease and no minimum balance.
a q ), il EOC reported that the UWEP programme statistics do not clearly disaggregation on the involvement of the different categories of women unemployed women, vulnerable groups such as single young mothers, and Gender-based Violence (GBV) survivors, women with disabilities, women living with HIV/AIDS, women heading hou women living in women slum dwellers to reach afeas.

-/N 52 lPage a.\ wfl It was recommended that Data on tlle clearlg disaggregated to show how th.e were benefiting from the interuention.
Observations and Recommeudations beneficiaries should be categoies of women The Committee reiterates the same recommendation that Data on the IItrIEP beneficiaries should be clearly disaggregated by Ministry of Gender Labor and social development so as to show how the targeted rnrlnerable categories of women were benefiting from the interventions.

For avoidance of doubt, it is recommended that MoGLSD should indicate the different groups of women beneficiaries by vulnerability.
EOC recommended that gouernment should put in place specific Programmes targeting tlle Child lwaded households in Uganda in order to uplifi their liuelihoods.
dr s Observations and Recommendations The Committee observed that Child headed households are often neglected in affirmative action programs yet they are among the yulnerable groups in Uganda faced by numerous challenges such as lack of access to proper nutrition, health care, education, proper shelter, security/protection and lack psychoso cial I spiritual support among others.
L The Committee recommends that Government should as a matter of urgency put in place specific programmes targeting child headed households.

It is also recommended that Government reintroduces the vulnerability grant whose scrapping was not backed by data.

The reasoning that vulnerability was liable to abuse due to subjectivity is no w tu 53 lPage a /.

w good e to scrap such a lifeline, thus double jeopardy for the downtrodden.
7.3 MINISTRY OF' FINANCE, PLANNING AND ECONOMICS DEVELOPMENT EOC recommended that Gouernment should fulfill the commitment of making 700o/o release of funds to MGLSD for UWEP so that more women can be enrolled to participate and benefit from this interuention.

The Committee observed that the demand for the UWEP programme is very high and the resources that have so far been released are not adequate to fund all targeted women's groups.
There was a reported shortfall of 19.7 billion (42.8o/ol on the total programme releases vis-A-vis the allocations for the two Financial Years (2015/16 and 2016lL7l.

The Committee recommends that Government should fulfil the commitment of making lOOo/o release of funds to MGLSD for TIWEP t activities so that more women can be enrolled to participate and benefi from the intenrention.

Funds for rmIEP aud other equaliza programmes should be ring-fenced to avoid double jeopardy to the vulnerable masses.
EOC recommended that the assessment of BFPs and MPSs for Gender and Equitg Compliance should be included as part of tle Budget Cgcle L Obsenrations and Recommendations The Committee noted that the role of the Equal Opportunities Commission as provided for in the Public Finance Management ,2OLS is not highlighted on the budget cycle.

On average, the Commission at least two weeks to assess the submissions.
It was reported that at the assessment results were being to su C ofM 54 age t ri a w be of BFPs and MPSs for The Committee recommends that the part of the Budget Gender and Equity Compliance should Cycle.

Sectors and Votes should submit their BFPs and MPSs at least two weeks before the stipulated time for presentation before Parliament to enable the Commission complete the assessments in time and to also support those with gender and equity technical challenges.
It is also recommended that accounting oflicers who fail to submit their Votes' BFPs and MPSs to Equal Opportunities Commission in time ar.dl or at all should be relieved of their accounting duties in line with Public Finance Management Act, 2015.

7.4 MTNTSTRY Or LANDS HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (MLHUDI EOC recommended that Gouerrtment should strengthen legal protections that protect women's ights to own and inherit land.

EOC reported that women in Uganda face discrimination in land rights.
Only 27o/o of registered land is owned by women (GoU, 2015).

Spouses are guaranteed occupancy rights and spousal consent is required prior to entering , into a land transaction.

However, there is no legal presumption that spouses have ownership rights over the land of the family's principle place of residence.

Obsenrations and Recommendations / The Committee concurs with the Commission that women in the country face discrimination in land rights.
The Committee recommends that Government should strengthen legal protections on women's rights to own and inherit land.

sensitization should be given on land ownership and rights.

# lPa e a a r'' 1 D / {ffi,.

On land euictions, EOC recommended that gouernment should.

ensure procedural safeguards and alternatiue accommodations for affected.

persons prior to carrying out land euictions.


Obsenrations and Recommendations The committee observed that unlawful evictions in different parts of the country pose a great risk to the livelihood and well-being of vulnerable and marginalized groups in Uganda.

The Committee recommends that Government should ensure procedural safeguards and alternative accommodations for affected persons prior to carrying out land evictions.
7.5 MIIISTRY OF EDUCATION AND SPORTS EOC reported that despite significant improvements in enrolments, only 3 of 10 children complete primary school.

The percentage of enrolled pupils complete the last grade of primary school is 33%.

Approximately 9o/o of children aged 7-L4 years, 700,588 children, are out of school and the vast majority are in rural areas EOC further reported that are also regional disparities with regard to competence of Primary Grade 3-7 pupils in English literacy and numeracy.
For Example; 417o students in Central region are competent in both English 9o/o of students in Western literacy and numeracy, these are followed region while Northern and Eastern region least percentage shares of 25%o and 2 %o respectively (ISER, 2ol7l M 55lPage I a\ I EOC recommended making a plan, qualitg of pimary education partianlarly dropout rates in primary schools especiallg ttr concrete targets for improuing the rural areas; reducing the high girl child; improuing literacg and numeracA and increasing enrolment in schools Obsenrations and Recommendations The Committee recommends that MoES should present before Parliament a concrete plan, setting realistic targets for improving the quality of Universal Primary Education particularly in rural areas and reducing the high dropout rates, pupil/classroom ratio and teacher/pupil ratio in primary schools more especially in rural/upcountry side in an effort to redress regional disparities in education.
7.6 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FTNANCE COMMTSSTON (LGFCI EOC reported that Local Governments (LGs) are the service delivery points under the decentralization policy in Uganda.

The Commission assessments revealed that only l2o/o of the National budget is allocated to district lo governments and 9 % is for wage expenditure.

This constrains efficient service delivery including policy oversight and monitoring government Programmes at local Government level.
EOC recommended that more resources be allocated to district local gouerrLments to further boost seruice deliuery.

Obsenrations and Recommendations g The Committee concurs with EOC that Local government funding was grossly inadequate for service delivery and most funding is for wage bill - salary leaving development funding as unfunded priority.

Equally noted were where government supplied road equipment to local governments wi appropriate budget for fuel, rendering the equipment idle.
Besides, funds for roads to UNRA compared to Local government allocates M 7lPage | , tr,.

$f,- governments despite the latter having more road networks and in dire need than the former.

The Committee recommends that MOFPED should allocate more resources to district local governments to boost senrice delivery and enhance the decentralization policy.

This will help in encouraging local governments to be responsible for government projects under their jurisdiction.

-w' 53lPage ,P I t 8.O CONCLUSIONS n Hon.


Speaker and Hon.

Members, the elimination of all forms of discrimination and inequalities is critical to addressing the different development concerns of the marginalized and vulnerable groups andf or persons including; Women, Youth, Older persons, Persons with Disabilities, Ethnic Minorities, Rural and urban poor, among others.

Rt.

Hon.
Rt.

Hon.

Speaker, more needs to be done by both Government and other non- state actors to address the emerging issues and challenges to equal access to opportunities highlighted in this Report so as to contribute to enhancing national development through equity and inclusion.
It is important to note that commission findings on the status of physical accessibility to the built-up environment in most public places indicate non compliancy with section 46 of the Building Control Act, 2Ol3 on national building code and accessibility standards.
Affected institutions include but not limited to; Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, High Court of Uganda Kampala, Kampala Capital City Authority, Kiruddu General Referral Hospital, Primary schools, Taxi Parks Roads/walkways, Shopping places and Churches.

There findings are summarized below.

We urge government to enforce the above legal provision in an effort to ease access to built-up areas by PWDs.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.


Members, it is our considered view that the recommendations contained in the main report will go a long way in addressing some of the pertinent equalization concerns affecting the people of Uganda and the recommendations herein should be integrated into the policies, plans and programs in the of various interventions by the respective institutions.

M 59 Page I q,.
M 59 Page I q,.

t q{..- In the same vein, we would like to take cognizant of efforts put in place by government in the social development sector including but not limited to YLP UWEP and SAGE in an effort to address challenges of limited economic empowerment opportunities and entrepreneurship development skills for women, youths and other vulnerable groups though not yet comprehensive.

Rt.

Hon.

Speaker and Hon.
Member, allow me appreciate the Contribution of Members of the Equal Opportunities Committee and the technical staffs in the production of this report and I pray that the report of the Equal Opportunities Committee on the 4th Annual report of the Equal Opportunities Commission for the FY 2016117 be considered by this House and recommendations therein adopted I beg to 4ffi S0 lPage t t COMMITTEE ON EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES REPORT ON THE 4TH ANNUAL REPORT ON THE STATE OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES IN UGANDA BY 2016117 SIGNATURE LIST NO NAME I Hon.
Asamo Hellen (Chairpaerson) CONSTITUENCY PWD Eastern SIGNATURE .--\ 2 J ll t2 l3 t4 l5 t6 t7 18 19 20 2l 22 23 24 Hon.

Rwakoojo Robina Gureme Gomba West (Vice Chairperson) Hon.

Kangwagye Stephen Bukanga County Rwakanuma Hon.

Tumusiime Rosemary B Entebbe Municipality Hon.

Ndeezi Alex PWD National Hon.

Bigirwa Norah Nyendwoha DWR Buliisa Hon.

Musana Eric Hon.

Nakate Lillian Hon.

Kamateka Jovah Hon.

Lokoru Albert Hon.


Babirye Judith I l,l Buyaga East DWR Luwero DWR Mitooma Tepeth County ( DWR Buikwe Hon.

Rwaburindore Bishanga Ibanda Municipality Hon.

Macho Geoffrey Busia Municipality Hon.

Okello Bonny Desales Kole North County Hon.

Achia Terence Naco Bokora County Hon.

Amero Susan Hon.

Aol Jacqueline Rama DWR Amuria DWR Nebbi 7lffiCIh^dtil,) \tt/ I vt_-'4 &\M Hon.

Burundo Musingo Mungoma Alex Bulambuli County W Hon.

Gafabusa Richard M. Bwamba County Hon.


Kaahwa Tophace DWR Hoima Hon.

Katushabe Ruth Hon.

Mbogo Kezekia Bukomansimbi North Budaka County Hon.

Mulindwa Isaac Ssozi Lugazi Municipality Hon.

Taban Idi Amin Kibanda North Cty j *J"G"L U C,}w \ t { 25 26 27 28 29 30 3l 32 JJ 34 35 Hon.

Tinkasimire Barnabas Buyaga West County /) -/ Hon.

Sizomu Gershom Hon.

Tumuheirwe Fred Turyamuhweza Hon.

Oguzu Lee Denis Hon.

Okot Peter Hon.


Achiro Lucy Otim Rujumbura County Bunghokho NtqT " at /1 -yffi Aruu Strurh'N"fth Maracha County Tochi County Hon.

Francis Zaake Mityana Mun.

Hon.Eitunganane Kenneth $iangu Soroti County Hon.

Christopher Kipterit Upe County Hon.

William Nokrach PWDs Northern Hon.

Maj Susan Oruni Lakot UPDF 'At *4*/- 14