Women demonstrate against poor services

Here, demonstrators, many holding babies and placards with messages like: “Vote rigging is now official government policy”, “Safe motherhood is our right”, “Women die of over bleeding in hospitals”, and “Women deliver babies on floors” marched towards Mulago Hospital.

At Buganda Road Junction, the demonstrators exchanged angry words with police officers who tried to block them from marching along Bombo Road, a major thoroughfare. Supported by youth wingers from the FDC party, the women forced their way to Bombo Road, disrupting traffic in and out of the city.

Mulago fracas
Accompanied by female police officers – and marching to the sounds of a brass band – the demonstration snaked its way to Mulago, the country’s biggest referral hospital. A fracas broke out here after the police officers blocked the women and journalists from entering the hospital.

The women, who were carrying soap, sugar, salt and clothes to donate to patients at the hospital, said they had received prior permission from the head of Mulago, Dr Edward Ddumba, to access the wards.

The police officers said only 10 women would be let in. In jumped the FDC Youth Brigade. The youth helped the women overpower the officers and the private hospital security guards, forced the gate open and marched in.

Former First Lady and UPC party president Miria Obote, FDC Women’s League Chairperson Ingrid Turinawe and her deputy Nyakato Rusoke led the demonstrators. Inside the hospital, the women were harsh in their criticism of the government.
“All the money that should be helping women and their children is stolen by government officials,” Ms Obote said. “They stole money for Aids treatment, money for malaria treatment, money for tuberculosis; money for immunisation and even money for Chogm. We must raise up and stop this.”

Protest note
The women, who have been nicknamed the ‘Black Mamas’ after they tried to hold a demo at the Electoral Commission head office while dressed in black T-shirts, said in a joint statement that they had decided to stand up for their rights to stop the country descending into violence.

“In times of violence, we are raped, killed, our little girls defiled; this is why we are demanding for electoral reforms,” they said in their statement.
Ms Turinawe said she had mobilised more than 500 women to march to Parliament and to the EC head office today to demand for the resignation of Commission Chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu and his fellow commissioners.

“All the 24 years of NRM have been wasted,” said Ms Turinawe. “We have been fooled, used, and dumped. It is time we woke up and we are telling President Museveni that we have woken up. 2011 is not far and we shall not rest until the Electoral Commission is disbanded.”

This was the third demonstration the women were holding against the EC. Mr Kiggundu has ignored calls to step down and government officials say the reappointment of the EC was in accordance with the law but after flawed elections in 2001 and 2006, there is growing pressure on the government to implement reforms to restore confidence in the country’s electoral process.