UGANDA CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY, MUKONO

FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPEMT STUDIES

COURSE BOHPHI 2

CORSE UNIT CIVIL SOCIETY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

PROTECTION

LECTURER MR. KIWUMULO PETER

NAME MUGABI ELTONBEN

REG NO S18B82/112
1. Define democracy and good governance as per Obama’s speech

Good governance in a human rights perspective stating from his speech in the video states that its
continuous participation of the people where by its governed by laws ,put in place to protect and
encourages people's participation

Democracy is a society is when people participate in the live of the community and their socites is the
meaning of democracy according to Obamas speech

Democracy in the human rights view refers to a society of joiners and volunteers and peers who
constantly to be involed in making their societies better

2. Identify the key roles of civil society play in promoting human rights and make a case
study of Uganda.

The civil society as reported by a Kenyan have created platforms for dialogue for communities to
decide where they want water, help and events on what they want to do in their matters. For a
case of Uganda, some organizations have created a platform where people speak on what they
the government to improve on. This has helped people to greatly to improve on its service
delivery to the community. For example, during our trip to Bidi Bidi refugee camp in Yumbe, we
noticed that World Vision has put up school structures, clean water points, UNICEF (United
Nations Children’s Emergency Fund) has even put up a health center for children and
International Rescue Committee putting a women’s structure where they can hold their meetings
and training on hands on skills.

The civil society in Kenya also focused on peace and conflict resolution as the case seen in
Northern Kenya which had due to illegal firearms, the nature of mistrust of the ethnic group and
also the nature of resources of the area which is water and pastures for their cattle. All in all, civil
society organization has managed to get conservation for peace and conflict in Kenya. This we
see with the organizations like Community Network for Social Justice, Northern Uganda Peace
Initiative and many others who worked hard to promote peace in northern Uganda during and
after the effects of the people. Many were traumatized so organizations came in to help and some
went to the extent of having peace talks with the Lord Resistance Army and later peace has been
promoted in Uganda.

They anchored good governance, gender matters, and awareness, microfinance for the youths
and the women and many more programs which included getting safe and clean water points for
the community. This we also see today in Uganda where many organizations focus on clean and
safe water for the community like World Vision and even community based organizations. This
we also see with MTN, 2019, organized a run in order to put clean and safe water for the people
of Budduda who had been hit by the landslides who didn’t have clean water.

As reported by one of the leaders too, he said that civil society has become an entry point for
national government and even the county governments to deliver services to the local
communities involving that they act a s watch dogs see where the government has not done well
and hence advocates for it to improve on its service delivery.

Civil society has also done advocacy in which it has shaped societies in which they are
organized. This has enabled human rights protection and even improvement in service delivery.
A case study in Uganda where many organizations come against human rights violations like
torture, fair and free trial in court, right to freedom of movement, expression and speech. This
many times the civil society as stood with the communities in advocacy for positive change. We
see advocacy in Female Gentile Mutilation campaigns, End domestic violence against women,
against men and many more which is meant to bring positive change into society.

They too helped in the case of Kenya in extension and expanding freedoms and opportunities
through civic participation. This is to do with addressing the public concerns and hence making
the government improve on service delivery in Kenya. For the case of Uganda, civil society has
gone ahead to pick out the issues in society that the government has failed to work on and this
makes it work better because they know they are accountable to society.

As per the speech, the civil society as gone ahead and formed movements like women’s rights
movement, poor children and orphans movements and many more which has promoted human
rights protection in the Kenyan communities. This we also see with ours in Uganda where the
cooperatives have formed their own movements, trade unions and even non- governmental
organizations which helped in improving the condition of the communities and even the nations.

The civil society also helped in disseminating information so that they realize that what the
government did was important. This would make the government accountable to the people of
the country as they were elected to serve the people. This would educate or sensitize the people
what the government is doing and how will help the people of the country. This would make the
country a right to information as being part of good governance.

3. On what ways would you agree with Obama’s speech?

In Obama’s speech I disagree with the Kenyans asking for more funding for their international
programs from the Americans. This I don’t agree because it would make the country dependent
on the American community. This in turn would increase laziness, introduction of western
policies which do not suit Africans because Africans should work to improve on their civil
society themselves.

I also disagree with the formation of movements as they would be too much in the country and
hence prevention or slowing down the work of the government. This we see is still causing a lot
of conflicts between the civil society and the government.

I agree with his speech as civil society has promoted democracy in which people can speak
against what is not right and hence the community has come out freely to participate. We see that
people are involved in making their communities better.

I also totally agree with Mr. Barak Obama that democracy involves laws being put on place to
protect and facilitate the ability to participate and it does not only stop on election day but
continues as it requires people to participate in it.