UGANDA WOMEN MPS PLACED 25TH
By Denis Ocwich, Kampala

January 13, 2004 – (New Vision - Kampala) CERTAINLY, it is not yet time for "uhuru" for Ugandan women and they cannot cry foul either. An international ranking of women in national parliaments has placed Uganda in the 25th slot among 181 countries.

With a population of 24.7m people, Uganda has 75 (24.7%), female MPs out of the 304-strong House.

The statistics released late last year, compared 181 countries worldwide and ranked them in descending order of the percentage of women in Parliament. Its compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), a Geneva-based international organisation bringing together parliaments of
sovereign states.

Interestingly, Uganda - which in the previous 6th Parliament (1996-2001) had only 50 women MPs (18.1%) out of 276 members - beat both United Kingdom(49th) and the United States of America (59th).

Rwanda scoops the first position. After last year's elections, Rwandese women now comprise 48.8% (39 seats) out of the 80 MPs in the Lower House.

A long leap considering that in the previous elections, women accounted for only 25.7%. Mozambique (14th), South Africa (15th), Seychelles (16th) and Namibia (20th) lie ahead of Uganda. Tanzania and Kenya all fall behind Uganda, in the 30th and 99th place respectively.

"The world average of women's participation in politics is now 15.2%, one of the highest ever," says the IPU.

"Whether this change translates into a change in the traditional expectations of women remains to be seen."

From: http://allafrica.com/stories/200401130386.html