KAMPALA, Uganda — Ugandan lawmakers have ordered the arrest of Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Chairperson Justice Mariam Wangadya after she failed for a second time to appear before Parliament’s accountability committee.
The Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), chaired by Kyadondo East MP Muwada Nkunyingi, directed security officials to ensure Wangadya is brought before the committee on Tuesday at 9am.
The order followed Wangadya’s decision not to attend Monday’s hearing, where the committee was examining the UHRC’s financial management and expenditure during the 2024/25 financial year.
Wangadya had written to COSASE explaining that she was willing to appear before Parliament’s Human Rights Committee but not before COSASE.
Her position angered committee members, who said the chairperson of a constitutional commission could not decide which parliamentary committee was entitled to scrutinise her institution.
“This is outright contempt of Parliament. You cannot choose which committee to appear before. Parliament is one,” Nkunyingi said.
Wangadya skips second hearing
The UHRC accounting officer and commissioners appeared before COSASE on Monday to respond to questions concerning funds received and spent by the commission during the 2024/25 financial year.
Wangadya was absent.
The committee was told that she had handed the accounting officer a letter addressed to COSASE explaining her decision.
According to the committee, Wangadya indicated that she would appear before other parliamentary committees, including the Committee on Human Rights, but declined to appear before COSASE.
COSASE rejected that position and ruled that her continued absence amounted to contempt of Parliament.
The committee subsequently directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to ensure that she is produced at the hearing.
“The Sergeant-at-Arms should ensure that Justice Wangadya is brought here tomorrow. We must conclude this matter,” the committee chairperson directed.
The arrest directive now sets up a confrontation between Parliament and the head of one of Uganda’s key constitutional institutions responsible for monitoring and promoting human rights.
Resignation adds to dispute
Wangadya’s refusal to appear before COSASE comes against the backdrop of her reported resignation from the UHRC chairpersonship.
She submitted her resignation early last month, citing what she described as a toxic working environment within the commission.
However, her resignation did not immediately terminate her tenure.
The government subsequently told Parliament that Wangadya remained the substantive chairperson because her resignation had not formally been accepted by President Yoweri Museveni.
That position has become significant in the current dispute because Wangadya remained responsible for the commission when COSASE summoned her to account for its affairs.
Also Read: UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya resigns
Committee members questioned why she would refuse to appear before Parliament while she remained in office.
“If you have resigned, say so. But as long as you are still Chairperson, you are accountable to this committee,” a committee member said.
Financial accountability at the centre of hearing
COSASE’s summons is primarily linked to the UHRC’s financial management during the 2024/25 financial year.
The commission’s accounting officer and commissioners were questioned about resources received and expenditure incurred during the period.
Wangadya’s absence left the committee without the commission’s chairperson to respond to questions concerning matters within her leadership.
The committee’s decision to order her arrest represents an escalation from a summons to compulsory appearance and places the issue of parliamentary oversight at the centre of the dispute.
COSASE is expected to hear Wangadya when she is produced before the committee and proceed with its examination of the UHRC’s accountability and expenditure.
The confrontation also raises broader questions about the relationship between Parliament and Uganda’s independent constitutional commissions, particularly over the extent of parliamentary oversight of their administration and use of public resources.
For now, the immediate question is whether the Sergeant-at-Arms will succeed in bringing Wangadya before COSASE and whether she will explain her refusal to appear before the committee.
