KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Chairperson Fauzat Mariam Wangadya has tendered her resignation, according to a letter dated July 6, 2026, addressed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
In the letter, Wangadya wrote: “I hereby tender my resignation as Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission. I thank you for the opportunity to serve Uganda over the years in the promotion and protection of human rights.”
The letter, bearing the official UHRC letterhead and Wangadya’s signature, surfaced on social media on Saturday, July 11, 2026.
Wangadya, an advocate of the Supreme Court of Uganda, was appointed UHRC chairperson in July 2021 and sworn into office on Sept. 29, 2021. Before her appointment, she served as Deputy Inspector General of Government from 2013 to 2021 and had earlier worked at the commission during the early years of her legal career.
Her decision to step down comes just days after she made a series of public disclosures about what she described as deep seated challenges within the commission. In media interviews, Wangadya alleged that some fellow commissioners had orchestrated a sustained campaign to undermine her leadership through intimidation, smear campaigns and repeated allegations of financial impropriety.
She said she had been “mentally tortured, humiliated, bullied and defamed” by colleagues, maintaining that the allegations against her were unfounded and intended to force her out of office.
Wangadya also criticized the appointment process for commissioners, arguing that it had weakened the independence of the constitutional body. She accused President Museveni of turning the commission into “a dumping ground for political failures,” claiming that political appointments had increasingly taken precedence over merit and expertise in human rights.
She further raised concerns over chronic underfunding, saying the commission had struggled to carry out its constitutional mandate because of inadequate resources. Wangadya dismissed allegations of financial mismanagement, insisting that all public funds under her stewardship had been properly accounted for.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission is mandated under Article 51 of the Constitution to promote and protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, investigate human rights violations, inspect places of detention and advise government on human rights matters.
