MPs Criticize Uganda Human Rights Commission Over Small Payouts to Victims

Members of Parliament (MPs) sitting on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee have questioned the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) for giving what they see as very small amounts of money to victims of serious human rights abuse. Many lawmakers were shocked that the standard payout is only UGX 5 million, even in cases involving torture or killings.

During a discussion about the UHRC’s budget for the 2025/2026 financial year, Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa was one of the most outspoken critics. He asked why someone who was tortured or lost a loved one because of state actions would be given such a small amount.

“That kind of compensation makes it look like these violations are not serious,” Basalirwa said. “In serious cases, why can’t we give UGX 100 million or even UGX 200 million?”

The Chairperson of UHRC, Mariam Wangadya, replied that they received over 1,600 complaints last year, but only 95 were accepted as valid cases. Out of those, only 16 cases were concluded and the victims received an average compensation of UGX 30 million. She also admitted that many compensation payments are delayed because government bodies do not release the money quickly.

“Sometimes our decisions are not acted upon for years,” Wangadya said. She explained that victims also face problems getting necessary documents like death certificates, which they need to prove claims such as unlawful killings.

Basalirwa also pointed out that the Commission does not charge interest on late payments or use older rulings to guide their compensation decisions. He said this makes the process weaker and does not push the responsible parties to act quickly.

“If people know they won’t be punished for delaying, they won’t feel pressure to pay,” he added.

On top of that, UHRC asked for UGX 4.8 billion in extra funds to boost its work before the 2026 general elections. Wangadya said the Commission is inspecting detention centers to check for human rights violations. In the past year alone, UHRC visited 303 detention facilities, including 72 prisons and over 200 police stations across 12 regions.

Still, MPs said that the Commission needs to show results, especially in election-related activities. They brought up the recent Kawempe North by-election, asking what kind of human rights monitoring was actually done, apart from releasing public statements.

“If you want more funds to observe elections, you need to show what you did before—who you sent, what you saw, and what action was taken after,” Basalirwa insisted.

The discussion highlighted deep concerns from Parliament about whether UHRC is doing enough to help victims and stop further abuse in Uganda