Eronda
JF-Expert Member
- Dec 16, 2025
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Makerere University academic staff have warned Parliament that the proposed Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 could criminalise academic work, restrict international collaboration, and undermine constitutional freedoms, urging its withdrawal or exemption of universities from its scope.
Makerere University academic staff have urged Parliament to abandon the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, warning that its provisions could make core academic activities illegal and severely damage Uganda’s higher education and research systems if enacted in its current form.
Leading the opposition, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) chairperson Dr Jude Ssempebwa said the Bill would effectively criminalise core academic activities and stifle intellectual work within universities.
“We contend that all these possible outcomes are not only unconstitutional. They would also make the work of academic staff and universities criminal and, consequently, impossible,” Dr Ssempebwa wrote in a formal memorandum submitted to Parliament.
He further urged lawmakers to drop the Bill entirely or, in the alternative, explicitly exempt university staff and students from its scope.
“We urge Parliament to abandon the Bill in its entirety. In the alternative, we urge Parliament to explicitly exempt University staff and students from the scope of the Bill’s application. We build for the future,” he added.
The memorandum, submitted to the joint parliamentary committees on Defence and Internal Affairs and Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, reflects growing concern within Uganda’s academic community over what they describe as sweeping and vaguely defined powers embedded in the proposed legislation.
The Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, has attracted widespread debate across civil society, legal circles and the education sector due to its broad definitions of “foreigners,” “agents of foreigners,” and “disruptive activities,” as well as its heavy penalties, which include fines running into billions of shillings and prison terms of up to 20 years.
MUASA warned that the Bill’s definition of a “foreigner” could potentially capture Ugandan academics studying or conducting research abroad, as well as institutions and individuals deemed by the Minister of Internal Affairs to fall under that category.
According to the staff association, this would create a chilling effect on international academic mobility. One academic staff member noted in the memorandum that “by the very nature of their work, academic staff and their students often travel abroad for academic-related work,” adding that the Bill would “discourage them from travelling abroad, which would stifle their productivity.”
Source: Nile Post
Makerere University academic staff have urged Parliament to abandon the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, warning that its provisions could make core academic activities illegal and severely damage Uganda’s higher education and research systems if enacted in its current form.
Leading the opposition, Makerere University Academic Staff Association (MUASA) chairperson Dr Jude Ssempebwa said the Bill would effectively criminalise core academic activities and stifle intellectual work within universities.
“We contend that all these possible outcomes are not only unconstitutional. They would also make the work of academic staff and universities criminal and, consequently, impossible,” Dr Ssempebwa wrote in a formal memorandum submitted to Parliament.
He further urged lawmakers to drop the Bill entirely or, in the alternative, explicitly exempt university staff and students from its scope.
“We urge Parliament to abandon the Bill in its entirety. In the alternative, we urge Parliament to explicitly exempt University staff and students from the scope of the Bill’s application. We build for the future,” he added.
The memorandum, submitted to the joint parliamentary committees on Defence and Internal Affairs and Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, reflects growing concern within Uganda’s academic community over what they describe as sweeping and vaguely defined powers embedded in the proposed legislation.
The Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, has attracted widespread debate across civil society, legal circles and the education sector due to its broad definitions of “foreigners,” “agents of foreigners,” and “disruptive activities,” as well as its heavy penalties, which include fines running into billions of shillings and prison terms of up to 20 years.
MUASA warned that the Bill’s definition of a “foreigner” could potentially capture Ugandan academics studying or conducting research abroad, as well as institutions and individuals deemed by the Minister of Internal Affairs to fall under that category.
According to the staff association, this would create a chilling effect on international academic mobility. One academic staff member noted in the memorandum that “by the very nature of their work, academic staff and their students often travel abroad for academic-related work,” adding that the Bill would “discourage them from travelling abroad, which would stifle their productivity.”
Source: Nile Post
