Outgoing Busiro County East Member of Parliament Medard Lubega Sseggona has sharply criticized the proposed Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, describing it as vague, void, and widely rejected by stakeholders.
Speaking during Sanyuka Morning Xpress on Monday, Sseggona dismissed claims that Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka is the principal architect of the Bill, stating that he is “only a stakeholder.” He further revealed that out of 53 stakeholders consulted during the legislative process, 51 opposed the Bill and recommended it be discarded.
“There is what they call vagueness and voidness. The bill is not right, and it is not understood. If we do not agree as a committee, we are allowed to write separate reports and share them. The fact that some people rejected the bill is not news,” he said.
Sseggona emphasized that Parliament retains the authority to revisit the issue in the future, noting that Uganda’s legislative process is continuous.
“Uganda will be here forever. Even if this bill does not pass, there will always be Parliament, and they can come up with a better bill,” he said.
His remarks come as Cabinet is set to meet to finalise the harmonization of the Protection of Sovereignty Bill 2026 ahead of its second and third readings in Parliament scheduled for Tuesday.
The Bill has in recent weeks sparked intense national debate. President Yoweri Museveni has distanced himself from what he described as “misinterpretations” of the proposed law.
In a statement shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Museveni questioned whether critics were referring to the version he initiated in Cabinet, stressing that his original proposal was grounded in Uganda’s historical struggle for sovereignty and policy independence.
He clarified that his intention was to safeguard Uganda’s autonomy in decision-making across political, social, cultural, economic, and diplomatic spheres, while rejecting suggestions that the Bill seeks to restrict foreign direct investment, remittances, or religious funding.
Museveni emphasized that Uganda remains a free-market economy, noting that private sector activity is central to national development and that foreign exchange continues to be freely traded through private bureaus. He further stated that legally earned money can move in and out of the country without hindrance.
To ensure alignment with this intent, the President held discussions with Government Chief Whip Denis Hamson Obua and parliamentary committee leadership, directing that the Bill be refined to focus strictly on sovereignty in policymaking while protecting private enterprise.
The draft legislation before Parliament, tabled by State Minister for Internal Affairs David Muhoozi, has attracted criticism over its broad regulatory scope.
Key provisions include enhanced government oversight of digital platforms and civic engagement, mandatory registration and vetting of foreign-funded entities, restrictions on foreign funding without ministerial approval, and strict monthly reporting requirements for financial institutions.
One of the most controversial clauses introduces the offence of “economic sabotage,” broadly defined to include publishing information deemed harmful to economic stability or mobilising opposition to government policy without prior approval.
Critics argue that these provisions risk undermining freedoms of expression, association, and access to information, while potentially exposing journalists, researchers, and civil society actors to criminal liability.
The Governor of the Bank of Uganda, Michael Atingi-Ego, has warned that the Bill could have far-reaching economic consequences, including capital flight, weakening of the shilling, and reduced investor confidence. He cautioned that Uganda’s external financial stability could be affected due to reliance on foreign capital inflows.
In response, Attorney General Kiwanuka has proposed amendments exempting financial institutions supervised by the Central Bank, as well as medical, educational, and religious institutions, from the Bill’s scope.
Despite these proposed revisions, critics maintain that the framework remains overly expansive.
Government officials and supporters within the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) have defended the Bill as a necessary safeguard against foreign interference, arguing that similar laws exist in other jurisdictions.
According to parliamentary sources, majority members of the joint committees on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Defense and Internal Affairs have agreed to support the Bill with the Attorney General’s proposed amendments.
The legislators have been meeting at Munyonyo Commonwealth Resort to compile their report ahead of presentation to Parliament.
However, deliberations have been marked by tension, with reports of chaos and a brief scuffle after the Committee Chair allegedly pushed for adoption of the amended draft without a full clause-by-clause review.
The Joint Committee is chaired by Wilson Kajwenge and co-chaired by Stephen Baka Mugabi.
One committee member described the proceedings as strained:
“We still had a lot we wanted to change, but even getting a chance to speak became a tug of war.”
Security personnel remain deployed at the venue as report writing continues.
Government Chief Whip Obua said the government remains optimistic that, following presidential guidance, a revised version of the Bill will soon be presented.
“Either this week or the next,” he said, stressing that the legislation is intended to put a full stop to “external influence on matters of governance and politics in Uganda as an independent state.”