Lawmakers on Uganda’s Legal Committee have slammed the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) for awarding shockingly low compensation as little as 5 million shillings (approx. $1,300) to victims of serious human rights violations including torture and unlawful killings describing the awards as ridiculous for not being in commensurate with the violations inflicted upon them.
The backlash erupted during a parliamentary session where UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya presented the commission’s 2024-2025 achievements revealing that 1,606 cases (992 from men, 614 from women) had been received with only 95 cases meeting the criteria for redress.
The committee lead by Asuman Basalirwa (Bugiri Municipality) erupted in outrage after discovering that even cases involving denial of the right to life or extreme torture were compensated with sums as low as Shs30 million (approx. $8,000).
“I want to understand why these days your Commission is not making bigger awards to victims of human rights violations because by this simple calculation means these 16, on average, each received Shs30Million on average. But you are talking about Shs30 million and what are the human rights violations? In your own document, you are talking about torture. So, somebody is tortured, comes before tribunal and is awarded Shs30 Million on torture,” said Basalirwa.
“You even talk about denial of right to life in your own document and you’re awarding Shs30 Million. Right to security and you’re awarding 30 million. Aren’t you condoning human rights violations by these meagre awards? Somebody has been tortured and you are giving them, and I’m just making an average, but I know for sure that these days you are awarding Shs5Million, Shs7Million over human rights violations. This is really ridiculous. What stops you from making an award of Shs100 million, of Shs200 million?” added Basalirwa.
While Wangadya highlighted the commission’s efforts in handling cases, she did not directly address the uproar over the compensation amounts.
“Our decisions face challenges due to delayed compensations. We intend to engage the Ministries, Departments and Agencies to address the challenges and agree on the way forward. Complainants also face challenges in accessing incidental services in relation to their complaints such as, getting a death certificate to prove death in matters of life,” explained Wangadya.
However, opposition argue that the token payments undermine justice, especially when victims face permanent disability, trauma, or loss of family members due to state or individual abuses.
Parliament has demanded a review of UHRC’s compensation guidelines, pushing for legally binding, proportionate awards that truly reflect the gravity of violations.
Human rights aren’t just legal concepts, they’re about real people suffering real harm. When a state body fails to deliver meaningful justice, it sends a dangerous message that violations can continue without real consequences.
