Mariam Fauzat Wangadya

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Mariam Fauzat Wangadya alias Mariam Mutonyi Wangadya is a Ugandan lawyer and advocate. She is an advocate for civil, political, and child rights,^[1] Wangadya is the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission.^[2][3][4][5] She is also a member of the East African Law Society, Uganda Law Society, International Bar Association and Uganda Women Lawyers Association (FIDA Uganda).^[5]

Wangadya was born to two retired teachers in Bulambuli district. She has five siblings.

Wangadya finished her Ordinary Level education at Ngora High school and her Advanced Level education from Kibuli Secondary school. She graduated with a Bachelor of Law from Makerere University, a diploma in Legal Practice at Law Development Center. She got a Certificate of Admission and Enrollment as an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and Management in Uganda.^[5]

She began her carrier from a private law firm in Mbale district called Dagira and Company Advocates where she became a partner in the same firm. She also volunteered with Uganda Women Lawyers Association (FIDA Uganda) as a legal practitioner.^[5]

In 1996, Wangadya was appointed as one of the founding pioneer members of the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) at its inception. She served alongside Margaret Sekaggya and Med Sozi Kaggwa.^{[5][6][7][8][1][9]}

In 2013, Wangadya left the Uganda Human Rights Commission to take on her new appointment as the deputy Inspector General of Government, a position she served in up to 2021 as she deputized the Government Ombudsman.^{[5][10][11][12][13][14]}

In July 2021, she was appointed as the chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission by Yoweri Museveni and she was vetted by the Appointments Committee of the Parliament of Uganda.^{[7][5][9][15]} She assumed her office on 29 September 2021, after she was sworn in by the Alfonso Owiny-Dollo.^[7][5][4]

In 2023, Wangadya on behalf of the UHRC signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Fellowship of Born-Again Pentecostal churches of Uganda (NFBPCU) that is meant to curb on the human rights violations against Born Again churches and also regulating them.^[16] This memorandum of understanding is meant to last up to 2028 but through a written mutual agreement it can be extended.^[16]

In 2023, Wangadya while serving as the chairperson for UHRC accused National Unity Platform (NUP) leaders for weaponizing abductions for their political interests and gains.^[17][18] The NUP leaders claimed that Ugandan security agents had been kidnapping and torturing NUP supporters since 2020.^[17] UHRC found out that some of the members on the list were indeed captured and released in December 2022.^[17][18][19]

In 2024, Wangadya presented the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) report to the Parliament of Uganda, containing information about the welfare and operations of the Uganda Police Force (UPF). The report raised concerns about officer living conditions, unarmed officers, the use of ropes as handcuffs, unfair deployments, and the transfer of police officers basing on bribery and favoritism.^[4]

Wangadya is a mother with one son.

• Bart Magunda Katureebe
• Alfonse Owiny-Dollo

• Mariam Fauzat Wangadya's Interview with Civic Space
• Uganda Women Lawyers Association (FIDA Uganda) Website