On the 15th of April 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs proposed the Protection of Sovereignty Bill (Bill No 13 of 2026). 

While the bill’s stated objective is to safeguard national independence by regulating foreign influence in domestic, political and economic affairs, it has far-reaching implications for the work of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), blurring the line between legitimate regulation and undue control.

As part of the government’s constitutional mandate to provide a platform for citizens and affected groups to share views on a proposed law, the Parliament of Uganda invited Oxfam in Uganda and partners under the International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO) Country Directors Network of Uganda and other key stakeholders to share their views on the bill that the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs was processing.

In a Memorandum delivered by a team of INGO leaders representing organisations like Oxfam, Child Fund, Hope Speaks, Brass for Africa, INGOs underscored their role in complementing the work of the government across both humanitarian and development sectors.

Drawing from a sample of just 41 international organisations, INGOs revealed that over the past five years (2021–2025), the cumulative budget of the sector was over $1.75 billion, with over $361 million set to be spent in 2026 under the sector, which has employed an average of 12,559 workers annually over the past five years. 

Also highlighted was the contribution of INGOs to government revenue through taxes, averaging more than UGX 142 billion annually.

The INGOs explained that restrictive provisions in the Bill could deter donor funding and lead Uganda to be deprioritised by international partners, potentially reducing investment flows and service delivery across sectors.

Central to the INGO petition were the open-ended definitions of terms such as “foreigner” and “agent of a foreigner.” Under Part 1 of the Bill, a foreigner includes “a corporation, company, non-governmental organisation or any other legal entity incorporated, unincorporated or registered outside Uganda. 

By implication, all Ugandan staff of INGOs like Oxfam would qualify as “agents of a foreigner” falling within Part 2 of the bill. This puts the staff of INGOs at a crossroads, with the new law forcing them to register as “agents of foreigners within the meaning of clause 15 of the bill.

“The effect of this expansive definition of the foreigner and agent will be to create a considerable burden on INGOs that employ Ugandan professionals and nationals”, said Francis Shanty Odokorach, the Oxfam in Uganda Country Director, who read a memorandum on behalf of the over 120 INGOs under the INGO Country Director’s network.

INGOs recommended that citizens of Uganda be excluded from the scope of the proposed law, noting that the country already has numerous laws on employment, immigration, money laundering and reporting, which can be amended to achieve the legislative goals intended by the new bill.

The memorandum read by Odokorach also called attention to the vague provisions related to “political activities,” “interests of foreigners,” and actions deemed “against the interests of Ugandans.” The NGO network called for clearer definitions, appeals mechanisms, and judicial oversight to prevent potential abuse of authority.

The proposed cap on foreign funding, limiting organizations to UGX 400 million without ministerial approval, as highlighted in Part IV of the Bill, was also singled out by INGOs in their memorandum, given that most INGOs operate budgets far exceeding that threshold. In practice, organisations would need to seek ministerial approval for every tranche of funding received, and such case-by-case approvals are expected to introduce delays, uncertainty, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

The network recommended scrapping the cap altogether or significantly increasing it, arguing that existing financial regulations already provide adequate oversight of foreign funds.

In response to the Country Directors of INGOs petition, the legislators asked the coalition to widen the scope of the sampling for a more complete picture of the implications of the Protection of Sovereignty Bill on the lives of ordinary Ugandans, employees of INGOs and their local and national partners that will be affected by it.