The government has been asked to appreciate the role of Civil Society Organizations in the country’s development.
The call was made by Margaret Ssekaggya, the Executive Director of the Human Rights Center.
Ssekaggya said that on several occasions, their role as CSOs has been misunderstood by the government.
She said that such mistrust can be solved if the government understands CSO activities.
According to Ssekaggya, it is not true that CSOs fund the opposition as claimed by the government, but by the nature of their work, they work with everyone in the country without discrimination.
She added that branding them as promoters of LGBTQI+ is also not right because their role is to ensure there is observance of human rights.
Ssekaggya was speaking at a meeting on how to enhance civil society’s contribution in Uganda.
Hilda Acilo, the Program Executive at the Defenders Protection Initiative, says several interventions have been put up to bridge the gap between CSOs and the government, and they are optimistic that it will improve the relationship between the two.
The government has often come under criticism from Civil Society Organizations on the shrinking Civic space in the country.
