Parliament Committee Sends Away UHRC Chairperson Over Missing Commissioners

What the report says

Nile Post reports that Parliament’s Committee on Human Rights on Wednesday declined to proceed with a meeting involving Uganda Human Rights Commission Chairperson Justice Mariam Wangadya after she appeared without the other commissioners. The committee had expected Wangadya to brief MPs on the UHRC’s recent operations, but lawmakers objected to considering the commission’s affairs in the absence of its full leadership.

According to the report, MPs questioned why Wangadya was appearing alone when the UHRC is expected to operate as a collective institution. The committee also raised questions about a letter she reportedly wrote to President Yoweri Museveni indicating an intention to resign as chairperson, and sought clarity on how key decisions at the commission were being handled.

Wangadya told the committee that she had asked the other commissioners to attend but that they declined, describing their refusal as part of the internal challenges affecting the commission’s work. Some MPs viewed the commissioners’ absence as obstructing Parliament’s oversight role. The committee then directed Wangadya to return with the full commission before the matters could be examined further.

The meeting is expected to be rescheduled when all UHRC commissioners are available to answer questions. The development matters because the UHRC is Uganda’s constitutionally established human rights body, and Parliament’s scrutiny of its leadership and operations may affect public confidence in the institution’s ability to carry out its mandate.