President Museveni has said that society needs to stop seeing and treating women as inferior.
“For instance, we have an unpalatable practice that women should not inherit property,” Museveni pointed out, adding that this is retrogressive since women must be part of the money economy because then, household income is sustainable.
He explained that when he appointed a woman Vice President, he was sending a signal to everybody that women/ girls are very capable of serving.
“This is the gospel that you the intellectuals including judges should preach,” he said.
He made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 17th International Association of Women Judges Africa Region Conference at the Commonwealth Resort Hotel, Munyonyo in Kampala.
Museveni also rallied the women intellectuals to push for free education because this would benefit the girls more.
“If there is free education for all, the biggest beneficiary will be the girls but it is the opposite here and girls are the first to drop out of school. The women’s movement needs to come out strongly on this because an educated woman is a serious asset to the nation,” Museveni said.
Speaking at the event, the First Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for East African Affairs, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga, acknowledged the tireless efforts of every player, singularly and jointly, towards advancing the EAC regional integration agenda.
She told delegates that the East African Community (EAC) bloc has had its membership grow in heights and bounds, especially with the recent admission of the Democratic Republic of Congo, culminating into an aggregate population of approximately 300 million persons.
“This calls for heightened and structured cooperation as members of the Community,” she noted.
Justice Nestor Kayobera, the President East African Court of Justice, said the Judicial Conference is a special event in the record of the EACJ which affords an opportunity to reflect not only on its one-year journey but also from the inception to date.
“I believe this 2nd Annual EACJ Judicial Conference will offset conversations that will strengthen the capacities of Judges, Judicial Officers and Court users in responding to various challenges faced by justice seekers as well as identifying areas of interest for National and Regional Judiciaries.”
She added that the conference will lead to an increase in collaboration between national judiciaries and the EACJ, also Increase knowledge and awareness among Judges, Judicial officers and legal practitioners on their role in enhancing access to justice for cross- border trade disputes.