By Eye Media | Kampala | July 11, 2026
Fresh details emerging after the resignation of former Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) Chairperson Mariam Fauzat Wangadya indicate that some staff members at the commission are celebrating her departure.
Several employees who spoke to Eye Media on condition of anonymity described Wangadya as an arrogant leader who was difficult to work with and allegedly had little regard for her colleagues and subordinates.
“I think you watched her video when she was making a direct attack on the person of the President. Now imagine how she has been treating us,” one staff member told Eye Media.
The employee claimed that Wangadya often portrayed herself as the only person with solutions and rarely considered the views of other members of staff.
“She had no respect for anyone and always acted as though she knew everything,” the source added.
The revelations come just days after Wangadya resigned from the commission, citing a “toxic work environment” and expressing frustration over the institution’s leadership and appointment process.
In her now widely circulated remarks, Wangadya sharply criticised the government over appointments to the commission, describing some commissioners as “bankrupt and political failures” and urging President Yoweri Museveni to stop treating the UHRC as a “dumping site” for failed politicians.
Her comments sparked debate across the country, with some observers praising her candour while others viewed the remarks as an attack on fellow commissioners and the appointing authority.
Who is Mariam Wangadya?
Mariam Fauzat Wangadya is a lawyer, human rights advocate and public servant who has spent decades in public service. She is among the pioneer members of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, having first joined the institution in 1996 and served there for 17 years.
She later served as Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG) from 2013 to 2021 before being appointed Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission in September 2021, succeeding the late Meddie Ssozi Kaggwa.
Wangadya has built a reputation as an outspoken public figure who rarely shies away from criticising government institutions and public officials.
However, her tenure at the helm of the UHRC appears to have ended on a bitter note, with claims of deep divisions within the commission and allegations from staff that her leadership style created a difficult working environment.
Neither Wangadya nor the UHRC had immediately commented on the allegations from staff members by press time.
