UHRC Seeks More Time Before Appearing to Parliament's Rights Committee

What the report says

Nile Post reported that the Uganda Human Rights Commission has asked Parliament’s Human Rights Committee to defer a scheduled appearance so that its commissioners can prepare to attend together. According to the report, UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya made the request in a July 29, 2026 letter after appearing before the committee the same day and being directed to return with the full Commission on July 30.

Wangadya asked that the engagement be pushed to a date after August 31, 2026, saying the Commission needed more time to prepare adequately. The letter was issued from the Commission’s offices at JLOS Towers in Naguru, Kampala. Nile Post reported that the committee is expected to consider the request and communicate a new date for Wangadya and the other commissioners to appear.

The development matters because the Human Rights Committee is one of Parliament’s accountability committees and oversees issues connected to the promotion and protection of human rights. Its scrutiny can include the performance of public bodies assigned constitutional rights responsibilities, including how they use public resources and carry out their mandates.

By way of context, the Uganda Human Rights Commission was created under Article 51 of the 1995 Constitution and is mandated to monitor human rights observance, investigate complaints, visit detention facilities, report on violations and advise government. Nile Post framed the request against wider parliamentary oversight of rights institutions amid public concern over issues such as alleged torture, enforced disappearances, detention conditions and access to justice.