Stakeholders in Bushenyi district have threatened to walk from Bushenyi to Parliament protesting the proposed ‘Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026.’ According to the stakeholders, the proposed bill is unfair and cruel to Ugandans, the government and their overseas allies, and it should be dropped.

Speaking during the stakeholder dialogue on the ‘Protection of Sovereignty Bill,’ organised by Western Ankole Civil Society Organisations Forum (WACSOF) on Wednesday in Ishaka town, Pison Mugizi, the Chairperson of the Make Bushenyi Great Again (MBUGA), said that Uganda got its independence in 1962, and upgraded the Constitution in 1995; there is no need to sound drums about its sovereignty. 

“We got our Sovereignty in 1962, and everyone knows that we are an independent nation.  Why are we panicking with sovereignty at this time? Two, Uganda gets money from foreigners in form of aid and loans, and a big part of this money funds the budget. Isn’t the government also affected? This law is unacceptable, and the bill should be shelved. But shelving means that it can be picked up at any time. It should be burnt, never to appear again.” Mugizi said

“MPs can pass this bill, but they should not forget that they will come back to us after suffocating us with these unfair bills. When you look at the way it is being rushed, there is something behind it, and as residents of Bushenyi, we can walk to Parliament in protest of this bill so that the Parliament can listen to us. We can plan and move there.”

“It is unfortunate that the government that we elected is dealing with us in such a way.” He added

The dialogue was attended by members of the civil society, religious leaders, university student leaders, local government councillors, community leaders and others.

Promoted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Sovereignty Bill promotes and seeks to protect Uganda’s sovereignty from foreign interference. It introduces a mandatory registration regime for any person acting as an “agent of a foreigner,” criminal prohibitions on a wide range of activities associated with foreign funding and influence; a requirement for prior Ministerial approval before receiving foreign financial support above UGX 400 million per year; stringent public reporting and disclosure obligations, and broad inspection and enforcement powers vested in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Kenneth Oine, a lawyer working with Oine and Nuwagaba Company Advocates, questioned why the bill was being rushed, yet there are existing laws that can serve the purpose that the proposed bill is intended to.

“But why the rush for this bill? The timing is not providing space for our views to be adopted. It is true, our Sovereignty needs to be protected, but what comes inside the bill leaves more questions than answers.”

“This bill is not a pure creation of Uganda. Other countries have it, but ours seems to be different. If it were about illicit money, some laws already deal with this.” He told the gathering

Nobert Gumisiriza, the Bushenyi HIV Network coordinator, stressed that the proposed bill is likely to weaken the health sector because there are several health facilities depending on foreign aid.

“This bill is going to strain hospitals getting aid from foreign countries. Foreign givers are going to feel inconvenienced and end up stopping the aid. You can imagine what is going to follow. The same government has failed to do what foreigners are doing. I ask MPs to disregard this bill because it is not helpful to Ugandans.”

Gumisiriza urged the government to settle its differences with a few individuals that it thinks are a problem instead of putting the health of millions of people at stake.

Carol Namara, the former Bushenyi district Woman Member of Parliament aspirant, asked the deputy speaker, Thomas Tayebwa to listen to what the population is saying about the proposed law.

“But which legal gap do we have for us to be pushed into accepting this unfair law? Even those who are expected to speak for us on this bill are keeping quiet. This bill targets a few members of the opposition and civil society organisations. It is a very bad and unfair proposal and whoever is pushing it is an enemy of this nation. In fact, MPs should come and explain why they want to pass this law,” said Dr Innocent Muramuzi, a senior lecturer at Valley University of Science and Technology

WACSOF Executive Director, Apollo Lee Kakonge said: “I call upon our MPs from wherever they are to come to their senses. Anything that is against the people is bad. This law is bad. We should do as much as we can to protect our sovereignty, but not with this bill, but with something else.

The meeting resolved to make a memorandum and take it to Parliament for consideration.

The Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 (Bill No. 13 of 2026) (the “Bill”) was gazetted on 13th April 2026 and tabled in Parliament for the first time on 15th April 2026. It has been referred to the Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs and the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for scrutiny before it proceeds to Second Reading.

Parliament’s defense and Internal Affairs Committee was on Thursday expected to start the process of scrutinizing the ‘Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026’ on Thursday, with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Attorney General’s office set to appear first to defend the bill.

Parliament has also invited the Uganda Bankers Association, Uganda Human Rights Commission, Dr Sarah Bireete, the Founding Partner and Executive Director for Centre for Constitutional Governance (CCG), Forum for Women in Democracy, Hon. Yusuf Nsibambi, Hon. Racheal Magoola, and FIDA Uganda to appear before a joint committee on the ‘Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026.’