Following the brutal arrest of 33 women belonging to opposition parties under the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC) who marched to the EC office to demand for the resignation of Commission Chairman Eng. Badru Kiggundu and his fellow commissioners on 18th January 2010. The Women Activists in Uganda have condemned the brutal arrest which they have termed as appalling and inhuman police brutality against peaceful female demonstration.

They demanded that all charges against the arrested women be dropped and the Inspector General of Police to apologize for the actions.

 Ruth Ojiambo Ochieng, the Executive Director, Isis-WICCE said that the police needs to change their approach to political demonstrations. The arrests were brutal..  “The police institution should move away from militarism towards a negotiating point of view”.

Solome Nakawesi from Akina mama Wa Afrika  expresses her outrage;  “We are still in a situation  when  we  still have to argue  that its wrong  when a woman  is arrested  you see  her panties. I don’t see men in that position. We are clambering to reach a point when women are on an equal footing with men”.

It was the first time a women’s group was mobilizing against the embattled electoral commissioners who were reappointed last year despite widespread irregularities in the 2006 election which they oversaw.

It should also be noted that Uganda is preparing for 2011 elections; this action is an attempt to scare away women from participating actively in the political process for fear of violence.

The above analysis is based on the reports from the media:

The Monitor