By Jennifer Acheng
The Uganda national council for older persons has decried the under representation of women in the existing Karamoja district councils, calling for more gender sensitive inclusion.
The Uganda national council for older persons team was recently traversing Karamoja region to monitor and advise stakeholders on quality service delivery to older persons as well as monitor the progress of programs like SAGE, SEGOP, that specifically target elders.
Speaking at the sidelines of their activities, Christine Onyang Smith, a member of the national council for older persons representing Karamoja region says they discovered that the issue of female inclusion in the elder’s council still remains a big issue, not only in Kotido but across Karamoja.
Onyang says in most elder’s councils, across Karamoja region, women are less than three thirds of men, as required by the law, attributing this, to lack knowledge among women, cultural beliefs and bad cultural practices hindering women from taking up leadership positions.
She says there is need to sensitize the women about the importance of taking up different positions in the district elder’s council so that their voices are heard.
John Bosco Akore, the secretary, Kotido elder’s council says much as their council has an equal gender representation, women are not allowed to attend specific functions like Akiriket, where certain decisions are in the end made on their behalf
Akore says in order to iron out the issue of under representation of women, there is need to involve and sensitize different stakeholders like cultural and clan leaders in the issue
According to the National Council for Older Persons Act 2013, the district council for older persons, comprising women as executive members, are to among others coordinate and monitor the implementation of policies and programs for older persons in the district, promote and advocate for the integration of services for older persons within the district, among others.
