Political Participation & Leadership
Source: Daily Monitor
General Wamala said women serving in the forces should double their efforts and be appointed to higher ranks.
The Chief of Defence forces, General Katumba Wamala has asked women officers working in the forces to work hard and prove their worth so as to be appointed to the rank of general.
While receiving child rights activists in his office earlier today, General Wamala said women serving in the forces should double their efforts and be appointed to higher ranks because as an institution, they are looking at attaining affirmative action.
"Look at all the generals in the army, we do not have a female general, yet we have female commanders, female tanker drivers. I now have a female fighter jet pilot and as UPDF, we are fulfilling our constitutional requirement which says we spare 30 per cent of the slots in the army for women," he said.
On Wednesday, General Wamala set aside 30 minutes for eight-year-old Angel Tyra Muwanguzi from Train Up a Child Primary School to sit on his official seat to act as the Commander of Defence Forces and articulate issues that affect girl children in the country.
The one-hour event which took place at the UPDF headquarters in Mbuya, is part of the global campaign Plan International has organised this year to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child which will be celebrated on October 11 around the world.
According to Virginia Saiz the head of programmes at Plan International, the organisation and its partners are working towards achieving a breakthrough in terms of girls' visibility.
"Girls and young women need to become more visible and their voices and experiences amplified so that girls' leadership potential in development is highlighted," she said.
The campaign dubbed "Takeovers", is happening all over the country and in 50 other countries around the world where Plan International operates. A girl child assumes the position of a leader and sits in an acting capacity in that position to discuss issues affecting the girl-child in such an institution.
By Stephen Otage