By Eric Yiga
The Mukono District Women’s Council was officially sworn into office, with the oaths administered in the office of the assistant Chief Administrative Officer.
Principal Assistant Secretary Daniel Kamara led the ceremony. The four members who took the oath were Chairperson Vivian Kobusigye, Vice-Chairperson Robinah Muwonge, Treasurer Rose Namawejje and Publicity Secretary Rosette Nabulime. The council will serve a five-year term.
Before administering the oaths, Kamara reminded the leaders of the weight of their new roles. He told them that leadership is a calling from God and urged them to serve all women in the district without discrimination.
Principal Assistant Secretary Daniel Kamara with The four members who took the oath Chairperson Vivian Kobusigye, Vice-Chairperson Robinah Muwonge, Treasurer Rose Namawejje and Publicity Secretary.
“This is a call by God. Leaders are selected by God and it is a call to serve. So I requested them to serve the women of Mukono with due diligence,” Kamara said. He emphasised the need for close follow-up on government programmes targeting women, supervision of groups benefiting from those programmes, and constant coordination with the Community Development Officer and the gender office.
“Be the good ambassadors for these women. You be the bridge with these financial institutions, with the government. And you serve them the way how God would have told you to serve,” he added.
After taking her oath, Chairperson Vivian Kobusigye assured women across Mukono that the council would serve everyone regardless of political affiliation. She pledged to advocate for women and work to unite them.
Kobusigye, however, pointed to challenges she has observed, particularly among rural women. These include domestic abuse and cases where husbands seize property belonging to their wives. She called on women to work together with their husbands and remain hardworking despite the difficulties they face.
Vice-Chairperson Robinah Muwonge outlined the council’s priority areas. She said the leadership will focus on training women, supporting better parenting and strengthening families, offering counselling and guidance, and lobbying for the interests of women so they become “women of substance.”
Chairperson Vivian Kobusigye sigining her oath
Muwonge said the council will closely monitor groups at sub-county and town council level that benefit from women-targeted programmes. “We are going to look at those groups. Are they the real women in our sub-counties? We are going to train the chairpersons in the sub-counties that they look at the groups before even they sign those files,” she said. The goal, she added, is to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries access the funds and that they receive guidance to use the money productively.
On domestic violence, Muwonge said many families in Mukono are struggling because of poverty, alcoholism, cohabitation, adultery, lack of role models, and the neglect of family responsibilities. She noted that some women prioritise money over the respect and recognition their husbands need, while many parents leave children to raise themselves with television and mobile phones that expose them to harmful content.
“You will find that the next generation, we are going, we are messing up the children, because they lack total parental guidance,” she said. Social media, she added, has also contributed to the breakdown of communication and responsibilities within homes.
Other women who spoke during the event pledged to work towards ending domestic violence, promoting good child upbringing and education, and supporting women with limited education as well as young mothers.
Allen Nabukenya and other women said they hope the new leaders will pay special attention to the problems facing ordinary rural women, advocate strongly for them, and remain transparent in the management of funds meant for women and the Parish Development Model (PDM).
They also appealed to the council to help women access simple and affordable loans so they can avoid high-interest moneylenders.
The new council is expected to work closely with technical officers in the district to translate its commitments into practical programmes over the next five years.
