Fiona Nakku, a candidate for the position of Workers’ MP (Female) has launched her campaign manifesto, pledging to prioritise the rights and welfare of workers if elected to parliament.
Nakku said her platform focuses on addressing long-standing challenges faced by workers, including low pay, weak labour protection and poor working conditions.
She said she would push for better funding of labour centres to strengthen job matching services, workers’ rights education, legal aid and enforcement of labour laws. Nakku also pledged to improve compliance monitoring and enhance protection for Ugandan workers employed abroad.
“Workers are the drivers of Uganda’s economic growth, yet many remain vulnerable,” Nakku said.
She said her manifesto would be implemented once elected, with a focus on addressing salary disparities in both the public and private sectors. Nakku also called for amendments to the current pension scheme act, arguing that it does not adequately respond to the needs of workers.
“There is a need to improve working conditions and to reform our pension laws so that they reflect today’s realities,” she said.
Nakku, who has been campaigning on labour and social justice issues, said her bid for parliament is anchored in amplifying the voices of workers who she says are often excluded from policy decisions despite their contribution to the economy.
Nakku was in July disqualified from the National Female Youth MP race by the NRM on grounds of being over the youth age limit.
Meanwhile, Dr Abdul Byakatonda, a Workers’ MP and an aspirant seeking re-election, outlined his legislative agenda for the next term.
Byakatonda said he plans to table a private member’s bill on labour externalisation aimed at streamlining recruitment processes and improving the welfare of Ugandans working abroad. He also said he intends to introduce legislation on artificial intelligence to address the impact of emerging technologies on employment.
“I am happy that at least this year the law on the National Social Security Fund was amended. A worker can now access their savings at 45, unlike in the past when one had to wait until 60,” Byakatonda said.
He said the reform was a step forward but added that more legislative action was needed to strengthen protections for workers at home and abroad.
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