Margaret Sekaggya’s legacy as a champion of human rights in Uganda is deeply intertwined with the country’s journey toward justice and equality for all. In 2005, she was the Chief Guest at DefendDefenders’ inaugural conference, attending in her capacity as Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission. Over the past two decades, she has closely collaborated with DefendDefenders, offering guidance to human rights defenders (HRDs) and helping them navigate the use of the international mechanisms in their advocacy. Her unwavering dedication has earned her the title of “Mother of Human Rights” in Uganda, a recognition she humbly embraces.
Born into a family of ten, Margaret was raised in a home where boys and girls shared the same responsibilities, despite societal norms that often-limited girls’ roles.
In the early 1960s, she joined Old Kampala for secondary school, shortly after it had become a mixed-gender and multiracial institution. While students adapted, some teachers resisted the change, including one Indian teacher who regularly barred African students from entering class if they were late while allowing others in.
Margaret decided to challenge this unfair treatment by arriving late one day. As expected, the teacher denied her entry, but she walked in and took her seat anyway. Upset, the teacher took her to the headmaster, Mr. R.P. Jones, who was known for his fairness. After hearing both sides, he ruled in Margaret’s favour, allowing her to return to class. She recalls returning triumphantly, a small but significant victory against discrimination.
“The teacher never did it again to anyone. That was the moment I realised that sometimes you have to stand up against injustice and discrimination, and it pays off. Eventually, you get fair treatment.”
Later, for her university education, she chose to pursue law at Makerere University. In her class of 30 students, only five were women, while the rest were men. The gender imbalance was not just numerical—it was also reflected in attitudes. One male student frequently taunted and demeaned Margaret and the other four women. Refusing to tolerate such behaviour, she decided to stand her ground.
Upon completing her Bachelor of Laws degree at Makerere University in 1973 and her postgraduate diploma in legal practice at the Law Development Centre (LDC), she was appointed a magistrate at Mengo, where she heard and delivered judgments on cases. She left the bench in 1976 and returned to LDC to lecture. However, by 1978, Idi Amin’s reign of terror had intensified, forcing Margaret and her family to flee Uganda—first to Kenya, then to Zambia. There, she worked in the Judiciary and later as a Senior Lecturer at the UN Institute for Namibia, preparing Namibian students for independence.
Her advocacy for equality continued in Namibia, where she taught women in South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO) about their rights, particularly regarding marriage laws that unfairly restricted them while allowing their male counterparts to marry foreigners. She began drafting a family law framework and educating women on their rights, despite the risks. Her efforts had a lasting impact, with some of her students later taking up leadership roles, including Namibia’s current Chief Justice.
After 11 years, she returned to Uganda at a time of liberation, when hope was high and peace had been restored. She resumed her career as a lecturer at LDC and later became one of 12 advisors to the Constituent Assembly, contributing research and insights for the drafting of the 1995 Uganda Constitution.
Following this, she was asked to assist with the first elections under the new Constitution in 1996. As a commissioner in the interim Electoral Commission, chaired by Stephen Akabway, she observed a peaceful election but noted that few women contested leadership positions. “Women still saw politics as a man’s space, but we persuaded a few to run.”
Soon after, she faced a career-defining choice. The President appointed her as a judge, while the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs nominated her to become the first Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC). “My husband and my children were all for the judge position. Because everyone knew the judge position was very prestigious.”
To their surprise, she chose to lead the UHRC. The Commission’s first office, in Arua Park in central Kampala, in a dilapidated office with a leaking roof started with only two staff members—a driver and an undersecretary—alongside six commissioners and herself. Drawing from her experience at the UN Institute for Namibia, the LDC, and various consultancies, she established the Commission’s structure and operations. She began by making courtesy calls to key institutions, and soon, the Commission started investigating cases, issuing annual reports, and making public statements on human rights violations within the country.
Initially, the reports met resistance. “We were going to do a training with the Police, but they were resisting. The first thing I did was pay a courtesy call to the Police Inspector General of Police at the time, John Cossy Odomel. I asked him to be the guest of honour at the training. At first, he had said, ‘This Sekaggya is demoralising my police, exposing violations.’ He agreed to be the chief guest and came out convinced that the course was good. After seeing the training, it changed his mind on the reports and the work of the Commission.”
Under her leadership, the UHRC’s influence expanded. The Uganda Police established a Directorate of Human Rights, and similar committees were later formed in the Uganda Prisons, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, and Parliament. “The Army started up its own Committee, coming up with courses and simply asking us to facilitate.”
As Chairperson of the UHRC, she presented Uganda’s human rights situation annually in Geneva. Fascinated by international mechanisms, as her 12-year term at the Commission was nearing its end, she applied for the position of UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders. Initially, she was informed of her appointment to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Undeterred, she wrote to the Human Rights Council, declining the offer and reiterating her preference for the HRD mandate.
“Luckily enough, the President of the Human Rights Council was convinced and presented my name to the council for approval.”
In March 2008, Margaret received an exciting call: “Your name is on and has been approved by the Council.” It was the confirmation that she had been appointed as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders. She began her work in May 2008, and over the next six years, she visited 45 countries, attending workshops organised by various HRDs and civil society organisations.
Margaret’s approach to her work was different from that of her predecessor, with a distinct style in how she wrote her reports and presented them to the Council. She adopted a dialogue-driven approach, inviting states to Civil Society-organised side events, meeting with Civil Society Organisations, and engaging with state parties at the Council. She was also instrumental in establishing the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANRI). Many civil society organisations were initially sceptical of her diplomatic approach, questioning whether it would be effective. These comments eventually reached her, to which she responded:
“This is my style, and you know what? Let me do things my own way, and we’ll see whether it will work. Why don’t you wait until it works?”
By the end of her six-year tenure, Margaret received a standing ovation as she presented her final report at the Human Rights Council. Her diplomatic approach had successfully brought parties together rather than allowing them to remain in conflict.
“Diplomacy is in my blood. I believe in dialogue. I believe in a peaceful resolution of conflicts, and I feel that sometimes when you’re too aggressive, you don’t win.”
Recognising that many grassroots HRDs in Uganda were unaware of the UN Declaration on HRDs and didn’t even know they were considered HRDs, Margaret founded the Human Rights Centre Uganda (HRCU) in November 2008. The Centre was established with the aim of advancing the welfare and safeguarding the rights of HRDs in Uganda.
HRCU focuses on raising awareness about the UN Declaration on HRDs and ensuring that its provisions are understood and applied at the grassroots level. To make the Declaration accessible to more people, the Centre has translated it into seven local languages, including Lango, Acholi, Luganda, Runyankole, and Runyoro. This effort is aimed at empowering local HRDs with the knowledge they need to protect their rights.
The Centre’s broader vision is to uphold and defend the rights of HRDs in Uganda, with an emphasis on supporting those working on the ground. Additionally, Margaret envisions establishing a museum to document the journey of HRDs in Uganda—tracing its development and highlighting the ongoing work surrounding constitutionalism and human rights.