Women politicians in Uganda face a torrent of online abuse but choose not to ‘cower to the bullies’

Recent surveys in Uganda have revealed how common it is for women to be targeted online.

32.8% of female respondents between the ages of 18 and 65 said they have been the victims of gender-based online violence, a 2020 research by the feminist tech collective Pollicy found.

Women leaders and high-profile women were targeted even more, with 50% experiencing trolling, a 2021 study showed. While the number of women politicians using social media platforms to engage with voters was already low, the numbers continued to drop as online abuse raged.

Another 2021 study on women in Africa’s parliaments found 42% of parliamentarians have received rape threats, death threats, or threats of beating or abduction, usually online. It was conducted by the African Parliamentary Union (APU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

‘The fact that I am single …’

As the Deputy Lord Mayor of Kampala, Doreen Nyanjura is no stranger to online abuse. In addition to the support or criticism that most politicians on social media have become accustomed to, Nyanjura also experiences misogynistic mockery.

“First get married then contest on the presidential seat, you can’t rule who are married. What would you be advising them,” a netizen said, responding to the politician’s announcement that she intends to run in Uganda’s 2026 presidential election.

A number of people online say the fact that she is single was the reason she got the position, Nyanjura told CNN. She will be called irresponsible because of still being unmarried, and if people ever saw her even just standing next to a man, they would want to make it an issue, she added.

If I quit, what example am I creating?

The 33-year-old used to be a student activist before entering into politics and joining one of Uganda’s main opposition parties – Forum for Democratic Change (FDC). She said the harassment she experiences online gets worse when she advocates for gender equality.

The abuse initially made her feel awful, but she decided to stand her ground and be a positive example for other women in Uganda, Nyanjura told CNN. “If I am to go off social media because I have been bullied, what example am I creating for other women that are following me?”