Justice sector leaders urge investment in legal aid
The call was made on Friday during the Parliamentary Women’s Day Breakfast Meeting held at Parliament in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day
KAMPALA, March 9, 2026 — Legal professionals have urged the government to scale up investment in legal aid services to bridge the access to justice gap in the country.
The call was made on Friday during the Parliamentary Women’s Day Breakfast Meeting held at Parliament in commemoration of this year’s International Women’s Day.
Justice Catherine Bamugemereire, a Justice of the Supreme Court and keynote speaker at the meeting, said it is critical for government to invest in access to justice through the provision of legal aid services.
“Access to justice is not just a lofty idea; we need the Legal Aid Act as soon as yesterday. We must urgently confront the complexities in our legal systems,” Justice Bamugemereire said.
She added that cases of women losing land due to limited access to legal services remain widespread, noting that implementing legal aid would help provide free or low-cost legal services to marginalised and vulnerable people.
Justice Bamugemereire also urged stakeholders to champion a shift towards gender equity through structural commitments rather than symbolic gestures.
“We must demand a standard where merit is the only currency. Every Ugandan woman deserves to be in an environment that empowers her, where her character is her strongest credential,” she said.
She added: “We need to build a nation where talent does not know gender boundaries and stand together as we advocate for a future defined by integrity, excellence, hard work and merit.”
The Principal Judge, Justice Jane Frances Abodo, who was the guest speaker, also emphasised the urgency of expanding legal aid services.
She said the law remains distant and intimidating for many women and girls, a situation that can only be addressed through the provision of free legal services.
“We need to scale up investment in state-supported legal aid by enacting the Legal Aid Act, championing paralegal programmes and promoting community legal education,” Abodo said.
According to Justice Abodo, access to justice should not be reduced to the mere existence of courts but requires proactive approaches supported by strong governance and economic interventions.
“When women and girls cannot access justice, violence goes unreported and unpunished, which creates impunity,” she said.
During the plenary sitting of 23 May 2023, the National Legal Aid Bill, 2022 was tabled for Second Reading but collapsed after the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs recommended that consideration of the Bill be stayed due to its significant financial implications on the Consolidated Fund.
According to the committee report, the government would require at least Shs47.6 billion annually to roll out legal aid services across the country. The Bill was later returned to the committee for further scrutiny.
At the same event, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among called for support to local companies producing reusable sanitary pads as part of efforts to address menstrual hygiene challenges that contribute to school absenteeism among girls.
“As Parliament, we urge the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to consider tax incentives for local manufacturers of reusable sanitary pads in the tax proposals for the financial year 2026/27. Once presented, we shall approve accordingly. This will ensure mass production and affordability,” she said.
More than 1.2 million girls aged between 12 and 18 in Uganda have limited access to sanitary products, water and private sanitation facilities, which contributes to high levels of school absenteeism.
Similarly, about 50 to 70 per cent of schoolgirls use unhygienic materials such as rags, soil or banana fibres, exposing them to infections and stigma.
Speaker Among acknowledged that despite milestones achieved in advancing women’s emancipation in Uganda, several challenges remain that require legal, policy and institutional reforms, as well as behavioural and attitudinal change.
She noted that women still lag behind in key areas including employment, financial inclusion, literacy, school completion rates and access to justice.
“Addressing these realities requires responsive and servant leadership. Our gathering here today is part of the process of reaffirming and refocusing our energy as women leaders to improve the plight of women and the girl-child,” she said.
Uganda joint the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day on Sunday at Kololo Independence Grounds under the theme: “Scaling up investment to accelerate access to justice for all women and girls in Uganda.”
