“The SCA notes the information provided by the UHRC that it has two sources of funding, namely the government and development partners. It stated that its budget amounted to 19.572 billion Uganda shillings (5,332,759.35 USD) for 2023/24 and 20.522 billion Uganda shillings (5,591,604.71 USD) for 2024/25. The UHRC will also receive an additional funding of 2,829,686 USD from the State for 2025.

The UHRC asserts that it has advocated for increased funding and the funding has been steadily increasing allowing for effective resolution of complaints before the Human Rights Tribunal.

Despite the increase in funding, the SCA notes that funding is one of the factors contributing to the backlog of cases before the Human Rights Tribunal according to the statement by UHRC. Considering persistent delays in its performance to address human rights violations and all the information provided, the SCA is concerned on whether the UHRC receives adequate funding released in a timely manner to be able to effectively implement the full breadth of its mandate.

The SCA emphasizes that to function effectively, an NHRI must be provided with an appropriate level of funding in order to guarantee its independence and its ability to freely determine its priorities and activities. In particular, adequate funding should, to a reasonable degree, ensure the gradual and progressive realisation of the improvement of the NHRI’s operations and the fulfilment of its mandate.

The SCA recommends that the UHRC advocate for adequate funding necessary to ensure that it can effectively carry out its mandate including the effective resolution of complaints. 

The SCA refers to Paris Principles A.1, A.2, A.3 and B.2., and to its General Observation 1.10 on ‘Adequate funding of NHRIs’.”