In 2001, when Col (rtd) Dr Kiiza Besigye contested for the presidential elections, there were many things exciting about his candidature. One of the things that took people by storm was the women in charge of his campaign. They seemed to have come from the proverbial nowhere, but redefined women’s place in politics, at the time. They made the question of whether the candidate cared about women unnecessary. They were on the front lines and holding their own.
There was Ms Anne Mugisha. For us young women at the time, it was difficult not to admire Ms Mugisha. She was articulate, knowledgeable, and made politics sound interesting. She was the ideal face of Dr Besigye’s campaign and right there in the trenches, breaking down what was at stake and mobilising voters. Then there was Ms Beti Kamya, you could not dismiss her even if you wanted to. When she took on the debate, you wanted to keep listening or watching. She was a real force for Dr Besigye, and perhaps that’s why she ended up in government. Winnie Babihuga added the cherry on top.
There were other women, of course, but it is Dr Besigye’s partner, Winnie Byanyima, who excited many more. When Winnie Kiiza became Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, I interviewed her at her office, and she spoke about that election with nostalgia, and how it had redefined her own career. These women were quite the group. They all made the case for women without talking too much about women, keeping their eyes on the national issues without losing focus on what mattered for women. Few tried to make fun of them. It was inspiring and admirable.
It is thus not surprising that people still remember these women vividly long after some of them have left the Ugandan political scene and public life. They were the model of women’s meaningful participation in politics. They made patronage politics and tokenism look bad. They demonstrated that women were there if political parties created the space for them to participate meaningfully, beyond adding the numbers. They had conviction, drive, and exuded brilliance. They communicated clearly. It appeared normal for woman to choose the Opposition candidate, until that started to seem like a mistake. They set a very high bar.
The 2001 presidential elections will remain perhaps the most exciting election for years to come. It came close to an ideal competitive election that had a national character, with good focus on issues, with an eye on reforms. The election petition that followed was equally exciting. It was the one time that people had hopes in the Judiciary, to plug in the gaps in the political process and move us toward a democratic path Ugandans never knew. Despite the outcome of the petition, it is the one election that offered deeper insights into our democratic path and process.
As a young researcher following keenly on the presidential election at the time, on which I would write a thesis on political reforms in 2002, I was deeply intrigued by the women in the campaign trail and the force they were in the mobilisation of voters. It is an election in which we had no female presidential candidate, yet the race remained heavily influenced by women and good questions raised by women. No one was questioning why there were no women in the race, because the candidates had nicely integrated women in their campaign teams. It is the reason women in public life remained a lifelong issue of research for me.
President Museveni had done a lot to integrate women in political participation using all means, including affirmative action and appointment of women to key political positions. Many had hailed the appointment of Dr Wandera Kazibwe, vice president, as revolutionary for women and the assignment of Betty Bigombe to the conflict resolution process in northern Uganda as particularly courageous. Over the years, many women have been appointed heads of government agencies, too.
Something happened along the way, and the quality of representation of women in politics became deeply concerning. Many point fingers at the changing nature of our politics, at a time when more women are educated and greatly empowered. Many are disappointed by the quality of representation and debate on women’s issues. Although legislation that addresses issues relevant to women have been made and policies formulated, questions remain on our commitment to women.
At an election time like this, there is a need to look beyond the women around the presidential candidates who are mobilising voters and praise singing for them.
It is crucial that women look more into the manifestos of candidates to see what offers are being made and the ability of various parties to deliver on the promises to women in order to bargain for women. More importantly, look to whether the candidates have co-opted women in the campaign process that bring to life their promises. Looking beyond the number of women to the contribution of women offers greater insights into the mindset of the candidates towards women.