The Chairperson Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Mutonyi Wangadya has committed to support Indigenous Minority Groups (IMGs) to achieve their rights to self-determination, recognition and dignity in their territories.
The Human Rights Commission boss made the commitment during the celebrations organised by the Cross Cultural Foundation of Uganda (CCFU) to mark the 2025 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The event was organised under the theme; “Indigenous Peoples’ Right to self-determination: A pathway for food security and sovereignty”.
Wangadya said that it’s so unfortunate that the IMGs including; the Tepeth, the Benet, Batwa, the Ik, the Maragoli, the Basongora among others are some left landless in the only country that they have as their home.
“We are talking about living communities, here and now, struggling for land, recognition, and dignity in the only country they have ever known. Yet, somehow, we act like they are invisible. And friends, invisibility is the most dangerous form of violence and violation of human rights,” Wangadya said.
Wangadya highlight that Uganda’s Constitution, under Article 36, guarantees the right of minorities to participate in decisions that affect them. But that remains more theoretical than practical for most IMGs.
“Let me share with you a few examples: In Karamoja, the Pokot and Tepeth have been pushed to rocky outcrops, not by nature, but sometimes by mining concessions. Licenses are issued for gold and marble beneath their feet, yet in some cases, the title deeds do not bear their name,” Wandagya noted.
She added that, “In the Elgon region, the Benet were evicted from their ancestral lands in the name of conservation. Sometimes I wonder, how can we conserve forests by evicting those who planted the trees? These are human rights issues, not just cultural events and tourism anecdotes”.
As away of pushing for the rights of the IMGs, the commission has since advised government MDAs to engage the indigenous people before any development projects are initiated and making sure that national development plans are not written over the silence of indigenous communities.
She called on Parliament to revive and pass the legislation that protects indigenous cultures, languages, and territories.
During the event, IMG representatives shared their petition with Human Rights Commission highlighting several human rights challenges that they still face and calling upon the intervention of the relevant government authorities.
“Ladies and gentlemen, ministries, departments and agencies, support the documentation of our cultural heritage, our traditions and histories, and support the awareness creation of the significance of one’s cultural heritage, history, practices, values and norms, traditional fruits, modes of expression, knowledge of the universe and world views,” reads the petition in part.
“We further appeal to the Ministry of Education and Sports to strengthen the teaching of culture in the new competence-based curriculum for lower secondary schools. Domestic authority should be given to ING communities to protect our cultural heritage as we move along with others,” the IMGs added.
The Executive Director CCFU, Barbra Babweteera appreciated the Uganda Human Rights Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) for allowing to stand behind the Indigenous Minority Groups to push for their rights and recognition.
She urged the IMGs to come out and tell their story as opposed to allowing their groups to fight for their rights.
