KAMPALA – Hon. Annet Nabaduga, the Woman Member of Parliament representing Kibale District, has called for stronger efforts to ensure that laws protecting women’s land rights are implemented and reach communities across Uganda.
Nabaduga made the remarks during the Fourth Women’s Land Rights Conference held at Hotel Africana in Kampala on October 15–16, 2026, where stakeholders gathered to discuss practical measures for improving women’s access to, ownership of and control over land.
The conference, organised under the theme “From Demands to Action: Securing Women’s Land Rights for Equality and Empowerment,” brought together advocates, policymakers and other stakeholders to examine the challenges women continue to face in exercising their land rights.
During her address, Nabaduga attributed the progress made in advancing women’s rights to God, expressing hope that the achievements recorded so far could provide a foundation for further improvements in women’s empowerment.
She also called for recognition of the women and other stakeholders who laid the foundation for the struggle for women’s rights, noting that the journey extends beyond land ownership to include families, education, employment and opportunities in the workplace.
As a legislator, Nabaduga highlighted the responsibility of Members of Parliament to enact laws and advocate for measures that improve the welfare and rights of the people they represent.
She raised concern about the gap between laws provided for in the Constitution and other legal frameworks and their implementation at the grassroots, pointing out that legal protections have limited impact when the intended beneficiaries cannot access or exercise them.
Nabaduga emphasised that citizens elect their representatives to Parliament to advance their interests and advocate for better conditions, making it important for leaders to ensure that policies and laws translate into meaningful changes in people’s daily lives.
She further noted the progress women have made in different areas of society, reflecting on the growing opportunities for women to participate in leadership and other spheres of public life. However, the wider challenge remains ensuring that such progress extends to women’s land ownership and security of tenure.
The conference called for a shift from commitments on paper to practical action that addresses barriers to women’s land rights, including weak enforcement and discriminatory cultural practices. Ensuring that women can access, own, inherit and control land remains essential to advancing equality and economic empowerment in Uganda.
