Uganda's disability data landscape and the economic inclusion of persons with disabilities: Appendix 3
Annex
Table A1: Key legislation for promoting disability inclusion in Uganda
| Legislation | Relevance to promoting disability inclusion |
|---|---|
| The Constitution of Uganda (1995) | Political Objective XVI of the constitution states that: “society and the State shall recognise the right of persons with disabilities to respect and human dignity”. The constitution also states that: “All persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law” (Section 21, “Equality and freedom from discrimination”). |
| Local Government Act (1997) | This act specified that district councils, subcounty councils, city division councils “shall consist of two councillors with disabilities, one of whom shall be a female, representing persons with disabilities” (Section 10, “Composition of district councils”). It also stated that municipal division councils and town councils “shall consist of two councillors with disabilities representing persons with disabilities” and that the executive committee at each parish and village administrative unit shall, among others, include “the chairperson of the organisation for persons with disabilities at the parish or village level who shall be secretary for persons with disabilities affairs” (Section 47, “County chairperson; parish and village executive committee”). |
| National Council for Disability Act (2003) | This act established the National Council for Disability and outlined its objectives, functions and compositions. Examples of objectives include: “to promote the implementation and the equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities”, and “to monitor and evaluate the impact of policies and programmes designed for equality and full participations of persons with disabilities” (Section 5, “Objectives of the council”). |
| Parliamentary Elections Act (2001) | This act specified that: “There shall be the following representatives of special interest groups in Parliament for the purposes of paragraph (c) of clause (1) of article 78 of the constitution […] for persons with disabilities, there shall be five representatives, at least one of whom shall be a woman […]” (Section 11, “District Women Representatives and Special Interest Groups”). |
| Persons with Disability Act (2006) | This act outlined legislation in relation to the “right to quality education and health”, “employment of persons with disabilities”, “accessibility” (specifically, infrastructure and transport), “discrimination in relation to goods, services and facilities”, “other social rights”, and “complaints and judicial proceedings” (Sections II–VIII). |
| Employment Act (2006) | This act outlined: “There is established a Labour Advisory Board which shall consist of […] one representative of persons with disabilities” among others (Section 21, “Labour Advisory Board”). It also stated that the Labour Advisory Board shall make recommendations on the minister regarding the regulation of the employment of persons with disabilities, and “shall advice the Minister [meaning, the minister responsible for labour matters] on the following”: “the formulation and development of a national policy on vocational rehabilitation and the employment of persons with disabilities” (Section 22, Functions of the Board). |
| Persons with Disability Act (2019) | This act outlines legislation in relation to: “Determination of a person with a disability”, “Rights of persons with disability and non-discrimination”, “The Secretariat”, “Local Government Councils for Persons with Disabilities”, “Financial provisions” and “Elections for persons with disabilities” (Sections I–VIII). This act repealed the National Council for Disability Act (2003): “the National Council for Disability established under the National Council for Disability Act, 2003 and in existence at the commencement of this Act, shall continue in existence under this Act as the National Council for Persons with Disabilities” (Section 16, “The National Council for Persons with Disabilities”). Many responsibilities added, continued or extended; for example, “develop projects and schemes for self-employment or sheltered employment for persons with disabilities” and “transfer the property of the Uganda Foundation for the Blind to the National Council for Persons with Disabilities” (Section 17, “Functions of Council” and Section 18, “Management of property registered in names of Uganda Foundation for the Blind”, respectively). This act repealed the Persons with Disability Act (2006). Many responsibilities added, continued or extended; for example, “to provide for the local government councils for persons with disabilities” (Part V, “Local Government Councils for Persons with Disabilities”). |
Sources: Government of Uganda, 1995. Constitution of Uganda;[1] Government of Uganda, 1997. Local Governments Act;[2] Government of Uganda, 2003. National Council for Disability Act;[3] Government of Uganda, 2001. Parliamentary Elections Act;[4] Government of Uganda, 2006. Persons with Disability Act;[5] Government of Uganda, 2006. Employment Act;[6] Government of Uganda, 2019. Persons with Disabilities Act.[7]
Table A2: Key institutions for promoting disability inclusion in Uganda
| Institutions | Relevance to promoting disability inclusion |
|---|---|
| Members of Parliament | Members of Parliament were mandated in the Parliamentary Elections Act (2001), and by extension the Ugandan Constitution (1995), to, among other things, protect and extend the rights of persons with disabilities to respect and human dignity, and to enact laws appropriate for the protection of persons with disabilities. |
| The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development | The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development is mandated to “mobilize and empower communities to harness their potential while protecting the rights of vulnerable population groups”. It has a dedicated Disability Desk which primarily oversees the implementation of the Special Disability Grant (funds are controlled by the District Level Special Disability Grant Steering Committee),* a Directorate of Social Protection which primarily implements the Youth Livelihood Program that funds approved youth groups (sometimes organisations of persons with disabilities),** and a Coordination Committee on Disability. |
|
The National Council for Persons with Disabilities |
The National Council for Persons with Disabilities is composed of a host of actors. These include representatives from the Ministry of Local Governments, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health; the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, the Ministry for Public Service, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communication, as well as two persons with disabilities, a male and a female, which represent each region, and one parent of a child with disabilities. Among other things, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities “facilitates action by communicating the concerns of persons with disabilities with Government and other non-government actors”, and also “advocates for the promotion and development of programs and projects designed to improve the lives of persons with disabilities”. |
| Ministry of Education and Sports | The Ministry of Education and Sports has a Department of Special Needs and Inclusive Education which coordinates and supports the provision of special needs and inclusive education. |
Sources: DEVEX, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development;[8] National Council for Persons with Disabilities, About National Council for Disability;[9] Ministry of Education and Sports, Department of Special Needs and Inclusive Education.[10]
Notes: *Individual persons with disabilities can make claims, and organisations of persons with disabilities can also make claims on behalf of its members. However, the amount of money given is very small, hence therefore people tend to club together to get a bigger pay out in order to invest in something they couldn’t could not have done otherwise, e.g. the mill in the case featured in this source: Epilepsy Support Association of Uganda, Our Success Stories, Metu Metu Esau Branch – Moyo District.[11]
** This is not exclusively focused on persons with disabilities.
Table A3: Metadata for household surveys that contain disability data, 2009 to present
| Year | Survey | Lead | Main support agencies | Other support agencies | Period of data collection | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–2010 | National Panel Survey | Uganda Bureau of Statistic (UBOS) | Government of Netherlands | World Bank | September 2009 – August 2010 | 3,123 |
| 2009–2010 | National Household Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | – | May 2009 – April 2010 | 7,000 |
| 2010–2011 | National Panel Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | World Bank and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) | October 2010 –September 2011 | 3,200 |
| 2011 | Demographic and Health Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | US Agency for International Development (USAID), UNFPA, Unicef, World Health Organization, Irish Aid, UK Department for International Development, ICF International | June 2011 – December 2011 | 9,033 |
| 2011–2012 | National Labour Force and Child Activities Survey | UBOS |
International Labour Organization, World Bank |
US Department of Labour, International Organization for Migration | November 2011 – April 2012 | 6,293 |
| 2011–2012 | National Panel Survey | UBOS | World Bank | Government of Uganda, UNFPA, government of Netherlands | November 2011 – November 2012 | 3,123 |
| 2012–2013 | National Household Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | Economic Policy Research Centre | June 2012 –June 2013 | 6,887 |
| 2013–2014 | National Panel Survey | UBOS | World Bank, government of Netherlands | Government of Uganda | September 2013 – August 2014 | 3,123 |
| 2015 | National Service Delivery Survey | UBOS | UK Department for International Development | – | 2015 | 10,101 |
| 2015–2016 | National Panel Survey | UBOS | Government of Netherlands | World Bank | February 2015 – February 2016 | 3,123 |
| 2016 | Demographic and Health Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | USAID, Unicef and UNFPA | June 2016 – December 2016 | 18,506 |
| 2016–2017 | National Labour Force Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | – | November 2016 – July 2017 | 4,105 |
| 2016–2017 | National Household Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | Unicef and the Economic Policy Research Centre | June 2016 – June 2017 | 15,672 |
| 2017 | Functional Difficulties Survey | UBOS | Government of Uganda | Unicef and UK Department for International Development | 2017 | 7,438 |
Sources: Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), 2010. National Panel Survey 2009/10;[12] UBOS, 2010. National Household Survey 2009/10 Abridged Report;[13] UBOS, 2010/11. National Panel Survey 2010/11;[14] UBOS, 2012. Demographic and Health Survey 2011;[15] International Labour Organization, 2017. National Labour Force Survey 2011/12;[16] UBOS, 2013. National Panel Survey 2011/12;[17] UBOS, 2014. National Household Survey 2012/13;[18] UBOS, 2013/14. National Panel Survey;[19] UBOS, 2016. National Service Delivery Survey 2015 Report;[20] UBOS, 2015. National Panel Survey 2015;[21] UBOS, 2018. Demographic and Health Survey 2016;[22] UBOS, 2018. National Labour Force Survey 2016/17;[23] UBOS, 2018. Uganda National Household Survey 2016/17;[24] UBOS, UK aid and Unicef, 2017. Functional Difficulties Survey 2016/17.[25]
