26 February 2014 — Founding of Tranz Network Uganda (TNU), Uganda

Tranz Network Uganda (TNU) is an indigenous not for profit umbrella organisation for trans and gender diverse persons organisations in Uganda and was established by Williams Apako and Jay Mulucha on 26 February 2014 with the aim of supporting coordination and collaboration among trans and gender diverse persons’ organisations. TNU was registered on 30 March 2016

Country Context

From TNU’s website:

“Trans and gender diverse persons in Uganda are often socially, economically, politically and legally marginalized. Discrimination against trans and gender diverse persons largely stems from multiple forms of stigma relating to gender identity, gender expression and perceived sexual orientation. Stigma, discrimination and lack of legally authorized or gender-appropriate identity documents exclude many trans and gender diverse persons from civic participation, limit economic opportunities and results into poverty and marginalization which increase vulnerability. Discrimination against transgender people exposes them to violence yet in reporting these violations to the police; transgender survivors sometimes experience further physical violence at the hands of the police who are meant to protect them. Criminalization of sexual relations between people of the same sex under the Penal Code Act of Uganda, coupled with lack of legal recognition of their gender means that transgender people are legally considered to have engaged in same-sex relations and are, therefore, subject to persecution.

Ideally, trans led organizations should be at the forefront advocating for policy and legal reforms and the implementation of programs that address the gaps in an archaic system that doesn’t respond to the unique needs of the trans population but inadequate capacity to implement edge cutting changing projects for community transformation has hindered progress as well. Although, health data, including HIV prevalence data in Uganda for trans and gender diverse people is limited, it is clear transgender people remain severely under served in the health care system including in the national HIV response. Additionally, access to gender-affirming therapy which is integral part of primary care for many transgender people is non-existent even in the private sector leaving many trans persons to self-medicate with products which is not safe.”

Healthcare context

“Transgender and gender diverse persons in Uganda experience significant health and health care inequality perpetuated by a social political and legal environment that instigates a lot of stigma and discrimination against them.  The barriers that impede optimal access to health care for transgender and gender diverse parsons include:  fear of discrimination, inconvenient operating hours of public health facilities, issues of name and gender identification of trans persons among others. 62% of the respondents, from the TNU 2018 Trans Needs Assessment, expressed needs for health care.  The key expressed health needs were: HIV care and treatment (28.1%), treatment for sexually transmitted infections/diseases (21.0%), gender affirming health care-surgery (22.3%), the need for hormones expressed (17.0%) and 11% for mental health services.  The assessment found major barriers to accessing health care to be; lack of money to buy medicine (22%) and for transportation to a health facility (43%) of the respondents. While the public health system in Uganda could and should meet these expressed health needs for transgender persons, transgender persons encounter serous barriers to effectively demand, access and utilize existing public health services to meet their health care needs. Key the barriers that transgender persons face is stigma and discrimination in health care settings which curtails the participation in the planning, organization and monitoring of health service delivery.”

Justice context

“Although the 1995 constitution of the republic of Uganda, provides for equality and non-discrimination of persons regardless of their race, tribe, gender, religion, extra. The prevailing social norms and legal system in Uganda remains very hostile towards trans and gender non-confirming persons. A transgender needs assessment study conducted by TNU in 2018 found that a significant proportion of transgender persons face a range of discrimination, stigma and violence in all places. Over 41% of the transgender persons who participated in the study have experienced violence in public places including health facilities, restaurants and even schools. Over the years, trans and gender diverse people have been the face of the LGBTIQ+ community in Uganda majorly because of their gender expressions. Uganda as a society is littered with biases that continue to perpetuate stigma, discrimination, and violence against the trans community. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Uganda, particularly LGBTIQ+ rights organizations, continuously face challenges that include intimidation from government, media restrictions and interference of work by government agencies.”

Economic, social and political context

“The prevailing social norms and legal system in Uganda remains very hostile towards transgender persons. A transgender needs assessment study conducted by TNU in 2018 found that a significant proportion of transgender persons face a range of discrimination, stigma and violence in all places. Over 41% of the transgender persons who participated in the study have experienced violence in public places including health facilities, restaurants and even schools. The above has also been a stumbling block in access to employment and education among trans persons in Uganda. The assessment found that although a significant number of the respondents had attained secondary and tertiary education, the need for improved education access was expressed by 56% and with employment highlighted as the greatest need, reported by 67% of respondents. The needs assessment also revealed that over 59% of respondents (trans persons) live in households in the lower income quintile that is under two hundred thousand shillings (200,000ugx) monthly. There are a host of barriers to employment among the trans population in Uganda from self-stigma, unfriendly work environments to the general lack of jobs.  It is important for these barriers to be broken as it is widely acknowledged that conditions of poverty and ill-health exacerbate each other in that poor health increases expenditure on medical care and reduces productivity and hence income. The constraints of low income in turn affect health negatively, through financial barriers to accessing good quality medical care, dietary deprivation and exposure to environmental risk factors such as poor sanitation and overcrowding.”

Vision

A society where trans and gender diverse persons fully enjoy their rights and have unhindered access to basic services.

Mission

To facilitate coordination and collaboration among trans and gender diverse organisations and enhance their capacity to collectively advocate for human rights and access to basic services.

Programmes

• Health: TNU’s health programme focuses on the trans healthcare centre, regional drop-in centres of excellence, and trans health outreach. Services provided include general medical services, wellness services, HIV prevention, sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) and mental health services.
• Justice: The organisation has worked with stakeholders to advocate for the promotion and protection of the rights of trans and gender diverse persons in Uganda. Priority services include trans health rights advocacy, access to justice, strategic litigation and emergency response.
• Resilience and empowerment: Services include building social capital networks through formation of groups, increasing financial literacy of the groups, entrepreneurship skills development and linkage to seed capital and financial services.

• Network strengthening and coordination: Priority services include establishing a trans innovations and a learning hub, regional focal point organisations, systems strengthening for member organisations, and regional coordination fora.

Contact

Website
+256787832896 | +256708901232
Email: info@tranznetwork.org
Facebook
Twitter (X)

Apply for membership of Tranz Network Uganda

Watch our interview with Williams Apako, Executive Director of TNU

We interviewed Williams on the 7th of March 2025 about his life and activism.