KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s Parliament has ordered police to arrest the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, Mariam Wangadya, and bring her before a parliamentary committee after she failed to appear for a second summons.
The order was issued by the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), which is examining issues raised in the Auditor General’s report concerning the human rights commission.
COSASE chairperson Muwada Nkunyingi told the committee that Wangadya had been specifically invited to respond to matters arising from the audit and could not decide which parliamentary committee she would appear before.
“I want to instruct our CID to look for Mariam Wangadya, arrest her and bring her before this committee,” Nkunyingi said.
The committee said Wangadya had been given additional time to appear but instead communicated through the commission’s accounting officer that she would appear before another parliamentary committee.
Nkunyingi described the decision as potentially amounting to contempt of the committee’s proceedings and invoked Rule 218, which gives parliamentary committees powers to enforce the attendance of witnesses.
The committee directed that Wangadya be produced before it at 9am.
The confrontation comes as COSASE scrutinises the Uganda Human Rights Commission, including concerns about cases pending before its tribunal.
Commission officials told the committee that the tribunal had not sat since December 2025.
They said the tribunal can only be constituted when its chairperson and at least three members are present, with the chairperson responsible for convening and presiding over its sittings.
The disclosure has raised questions over the handling of ageing cases at the commission, which is mandated to investigate human rights violations and provide remedies to victims.
The dispute also highlights the increasingly assertive role of parliamentary committees in Uganda in demanding answers from public institutions.
Nkunyingi said a witness summoned by a parliamentary committee was expected to attend and respond directly rather than determine how or where the questions should be answered.
The committee’s decision to order Wangadya’s arrest marks an escalation in the standoff between the legislature and the country’s constitutional human rights watchdog.
It was not immediately clear from the information provided whether Wangadya had responded publicly to the arrest order or whether police had begun searching for her.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission has a constitutional mandate to promote and protect human rights, making the confrontation particularly significant as parliament examines its performance and accountability.
