Kampala, Uganda: The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has tabled a damning request of an additional Shs1.5 billion to train newly elected Local Council leaders on the Human Rights-Based Approach as part of efforts to strengthen accountability, governance and service delivery at grassroots level.
The funding request was presented before Parliament by John Teira during the presentation of the committee report on the Commission’s 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement.
Teira said Local Council leaders remain central to community mobilisation, service delivery and oversight, but often assume office without adequate grounding in human rights principles and governance practices.
“The newly elected local council leaders play a critical role in service delivery, community mobilisation and oversight at grassroots level. However, many of them assume office without adequate knowledge and practical skills in the Human Rights-Based Approach, which is essential for inclusive, accountable and people-centred governance,” Teira said.
According to the committee, the additional funding would support a nationwide capacity-building programme aimed at equipping LC leaders with practical knowledge and tools needed to integrate human rights principles into their day-to-day leadership responsibilities.
“The requested funds will support a nationwide capacity-building programme aimed at equipping local council leaders with knowledge, skills and tools to integrate human rights principles,” Teira added.
The Commission also requested an additional Shs500 million to upgrade its Moyo field office into a regional office to improve human rights service delivery in the West Nile sub-region.
Parliament approved both funding requests.
For the 2026/27 financial year, UHRC’s total budget has been set at Shs33.073 billion, reflecting a slight increase of Shs100 million from the previous financial year’s approved budget of Shs32.973 billion.
However, committee reports indicated that the Commission continues to face implementation challenges.
Budget performance reports for the first half of FY2025/26 showed that only Shs14.034 billion, representing 42.6 percent of the annual budget, had been absorbed by December 2025.
The Human Rights-Based Approach is a governance framework that seeks to integrate principles such as accountability, participation, equality and non-discrimination into public service delivery and leadership structures.
Analysts say the training initiative could help strengthen conflict resolution, accountability and protection of citizens’ rights at community level where Local Council leaders often serve as first points of contact in handling disputes and governance matters.
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