UGANDA SOVEREIGNTY BILL 2026: What They DELETED & How It Affects You (US, UK, Canada & Uganda)

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]Muna Uganda, are you in Uganda or you're outside Uganda?

[00:00:04]Well, you've been listening to this sovereignty bill, sovereignty bill. It's no longer a bill, it's a law. Parliament passed the controversial Protection of Sovereignty Bill 2026. There are things that if you do now, whether you are abroad [music] or you are at home in Uganda, that we shall not get tired.

[00:00:22]And if it's going to be done, it will be done. It could land you into jail. Hey, this was their plan.

[00:00:32]Today in this video, I'll be looking through what was changed after the noise, as the president described it.

[00:00:39]>> Try to get out, not to come to the microphone and make noise. Fine.

[00:00:43]Go, go, go, go, go. What was removed?

[00:00:46]What was tabled before Parliament? What was passed?

[00:00:54]And how does this affect you living in Uganda? How does this affect a Ugandan living outside Uganda? And how does this affect your church, your NGO, and the entire economy at large? Whether we do what tactics of delay, we shall finish.

[00:01:13]Well, I'm breaking this down very understandably in a very short time.

[00:01:18]Stay locked and [music] watch.

[00:01:27]>> [music] [music] >> Good [singing] morning.

[00:01:38]This is a request video from one of my subscribers, J Life Invest. You commented in my previous video and you said I should talk about the new Sovereignty Bill 2026. So, I had to obey.

[00:01:52]So, this video is for you. Hello, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Lubega Musoli W'amwayi and this is Afro UG. I welcome you again [clears throat] to this home, this platform, this channel where we discuss all matters Uganda, things that affect you and things that affect me, politics, entertainment, and social matters, things that everyday life.

[00:02:11]Well, today we're looking at the new sovereignty bill. Well, it's not a bill anymore, it's a law.

[00:02:17]And we shall be dissecting it like I explained at the intro. So, number one, what is sovereignty that you've been hearing about?

[00:02:25]Sovereignty is defined as the ability of a country to decide its own affairs, social matters, political, and monetary, and control their own affairs without the interference of a foreign state. In other words, it's like the reason why you make a fence in your house. You make a fence so that people outside do not affect you, do not their noise don't come to you. What they're doing there, it doesn't concern you, and that's exactly what the foreign what what the protection of sovereignty law is all about.

[00:03:03]But, critics are arguing saying, "No, this is actually like locking Ugandans inside, not letting them be exposed to everything that is happening out, the fundings, and all these affairs." Well, we shall be discussing them and see how it goes.

[00:03:21]We shall start this this video We shall put this video in three sectors. One, what laws were removed? Two, what clauses stayed? Three, how does this affect you? So, without wasting time, we're starting with one, what articles were removed? After the noise that was made by the parliamentarians, the Ugandans on social media, the people in diaspora, our members of parliament who actually care about people, well, the president wrote a letter and called it noise.

[00:03:48]But, the noise paid off. Some of the articles uh the some of the clauses that really really really affected Ugandans so much were removed.

[00:04:01]But, you know what happens when government removes something, they introduce something new. And that's what they did. So, we shall be looking at what what were what was removed. Number one, the diaspora clause.

[00:04:12]You remember article I mean clause one that defined a a foreigner as anybody outside Uganda including a Ugandan citizen living outside the borders of Uganda. Well, in the first bill that was tabled before Parliament, your cousin living in the UK would be a foreigner.

[00:04:31]And once you talk and he sends you money, you become an agent of a foreigner.

[00:04:36]You have to go and register yourself and they you had to go and register yourself at the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a foreign agent.

[00:04:44]Well, thank God that was removed.

[00:04:46]>> [laughter] >> So, you can breathe.

[00:04:49]If you're abroad, you're no longer a foreigner. And your mom at home is no longer an agent of a foreigner. Number two, another one that was removed, the blanket bank freeze. There was this article that said any money wired from abroad entering into the Ugandan economy or enter into entering into the Ugandan What do they call it in law? That it will come. Entering into Uganda was supposed to first be frozen by the bank until you produce a letter or an approval from the Minister of Internal Affairs, not Ministry, from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[00:05:29]Well, that was taken out. Now, you can receive your money for school fees, for hospital, the little little money [music] is you need you to send to your mom, you're building your small house you send home.

[00:05:41]But, when you're building house also be careful with this law coming up.

[00:05:45]The next video we shall be discussing about the dual citizens. If you are a citizen in Uganda and you are a citizen elsewhere, you're living in UK, you're living in Uganda, but you're a dual citizen, and you're building, you're buying land in Uganda, we shall [music] discuss what risk you are at.

[00:06:00]Not today. Another one that was removed is the social media ban. There was this clause that stated that if you are a a Ugandan or a foreigner outside the country or even inside the country, but you post [music] things against the government, political matters opposing the government on social media, you would be arrested and jailed. Well, that was also taken out.

[00:06:26]Well, we have freedom to talk, I guess.

[00:06:29]>> [laughter] >> All right. So, what actually stayed? Or what has been passed in this bill?

[00:06:36]Number one, there is the foreign agent registry. Any NGO receiving funding from abroad for purposes of one, law, two, you're fighting for human rights, three, any matters that enter into judicial and, you know, those those things, judicial, human rights, and all these matters, you need to be registered by the Minister of Minister of Internal Affairs as an agent to a foreigner. These include NGOs. All these ones that work for human rights and women's [music] rights and children rights and what, they all have to register. Now, it's a law. It's no longer a bill. So, if you're working without being registered in any of your small NGOs, you're in problem.

[00:07:24]The fine they'll find you is 4 billion straight away.

[00:07:27]Number two, any NGO or foreign company operating in Uganda, you are limited to 400 million of max. The money you can receive from outside Uganda is 400 million in 12 months. Once the money exceeds 400 million, you need approval from the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I mean, Minister of Internal Affairs. I keep saying foreign. Why am I thinking of this Tito Okello thing so much?

[00:07:56]So, you need approval from the Minister of Internal Affairs, General Muhoozi.

[00:08:03]If he doesn't sign it, that money will not be released to you.

[00:08:07]You get money illegally and you keep it, that is 10 years in jail.

[00:08:14]Or if or a fine of 4 billion.

[00:08:17]But now, come to think of it.

[00:08:19]These big companies that work in Uganda, some of them are providing water in the village.

[00:08:25]Do you know how much it takes to make one borehole? One borehole is going to cost you a lot of money, maybe close to 20 million or even more, 20-30 million at least or more.

[00:08:37]And maybe sometimes they're making over, you know, 30-40 boreholes in a year. So, every time the money exceeds 400 million, you have to run to Minister of Infor- or Minister of Internal Affairs and ask for approval. You have to run to Minister of Internal Affairs and ask for approval. Even you a Ugandan, you are the limit of money you can receive from abroad is 400 million a year.

[00:09:05]You have to go and register yourself with the Minister of Internal Affairs in order for you to receive that money.

[00:09:11]Otherwise, you're receiving that money illegally.

[00:09:14]Don't say I didn't tell you. Then, another one that stayed is the economic sabotage. That one they didn't touch it.

[00:09:21]To me, which is the most dangerous clause in this law.

[00:09:24]Well, this one says, "Anyone who does anything that endangers the economy of the country is supposed to be taken to jail for 10 years." Well, now that contradicts with you saying anything you want about politics because sometimes you're going to make a comment or write something on social media that uh is against the economy of Uganda because this one now the meaning anything that opposes what they're doing. Okay, for example, if a journalist or maybe you're you're you're using Facebook and you make this post and you say, "Oh, the hospital of Rubowa has been under construction for many years and [music] we don't know why it has never been built. The money has been eaten." Which is true.

[00:10:10]>> [laughter] >> You are and then you scare away the investors who have been all the the people funding it and they don't give money again. You have already affected the economy. Number one, you're affecting the economy. Number two, you are actually against government policy.

[00:10:24]10 years, not negotiable.

[00:10:27]And then the last law that state, now this is the interesting one.

[00:10:31]The last one is the most interesting one.

[00:10:34]This one gives the Minister of Internal Affairs the God power. He has the right [music] to declare anybody a foreigner or any group a foreigner.

[00:10:48]For example, tomorrow morning he can wake up in the morning and say, "NUP is a group of foreigners." And that is it. You cannot change it because it's now a law. If you are receiving foreign funding, let's say from you you're sending your mother money back home. But then you get enough money so you're sending your mommy money. And they see she's receiving 10 million, 12 million, 7 million. They ask her about what you do, what are you what you're doing, what is the money for. She's not very open about it.

[00:11:21]Foreigner.

[00:11:22]Is it a good law?

[00:11:24]In a democratic country, the law sounds a bit sensible though some parts are very harsh.

[00:11:30]According to me, the law is beautiful in a democratically [music] respectful country.

[00:11:37]But in a country where laws are used as tissue paper every day, where they change as they like. Today they say term limits uh you're supposed to rule for only two or three terms. Tomorrow they say, "Ah, no, we've removed the term limit." Or tomorrow they say, "Oh, we have a law in the constitution that says you cannot run for presidency once you're above the age of 70." Tomorrow, "We now there's no age limit." Today they say, "This is Once it's like that, then this law doesn't make sense. They change it as they like and they do with it as they [music] like and they will have effect it as they like." That's the problem.

[00:12:12]But according to uh if it's intended to protecting the country and this is how it sounds, not so bad.

[00:12:21]Just removing some articles that still sound dirty. For example, the economic sabotage, total And then there's the minister discretion. The if the minister of internal affairs having the power to declare anybody foreigner, what are you?

[00:12:33]Really, how? How do you How do you have that power? And the MPs passed it. Let's go ahead to the last section of this video, which is how does this law affect you?

[00:12:45]One, if you're a church and you're receiving funding from outside, of which all these [music] churches do, you need to make sure the person or the organization you're receiving money from you know them and what they do.

[00:13:03]And what is this money for?

[00:13:05]You need to go and explain to the minister of internal affairs and get your funding approved.

[00:13:12]Otherwise, the ministry has the absolute power to close [music] your church and declare you a foreign agent and you serve your time, which we've talked about. Miaka kumi, 10 years.

[00:13:28]>> You are NGO that has been funding civics rights, has been funding education, has been funding women rights, has been funding the HIV people.

[00:13:40]You know, recently [music] America cut the funding from these uh these drugs that were assisting people.

[00:13:46]But now, even the small organizations that are left that are producing medication for people that are at least they cover the cost so you get it for free and you're able to sustain your life, live longer and better life. Now, all these organizations need to go and line up at internal affairs and get approval of where they're getting the money from, what they're using the money for.

[00:14:09]And you see how this is going to affect you. In Uganda, we have a huge number of people that are infected and are living on these drugs, which are very expensive if they had to come from pocket.

[00:14:19]Now, how will this affect you? There are many churches that are going to fall into problems and maybe close. Some of these churches help people. Leave alone the churches that like the rest, you know. I'm not going to mention any churches here. But at the same time, there are churches that [music] are doing good things that are supporting the community. For example, when we were under COVID, there are lots of churches that came out and supported the local community. These churches, some of them are going to fall into trouble and some of them will close.

[00:14:48]Two, these organizations that have been helping people like they like fighting for women under domestic right of domestic violence, like supporting girl child education, like supporting general education, like supporting some of them support medics, some of them support a lot of these organizations. Some of them are going to see this as just too many trouble because they will be labeled as foreign agents. [music] And you have a lot of a lot of work to clear yourself, explain.

[00:15:20]Some of these people do not have that time and patience.

[00:15:25]So, some of these organizations will shift, maybe move from Uganda to Kenya or Congo or elsewhere.

[00:15:30]In the end, who is going to lose? Us.

[00:15:33]The people up there don't care.

[00:15:36]It is we who are going to lose. So, now imagine where churches have to register themselves as foreign agents if you're receiving foreign funding.

[00:15:44]All these NGOs supporting uh your your children in school, girl child, fighting for human rights, giving HIV medications.

[00:15:55]>> [music] >> For example, the TASO and the whatever, all these ones that are you know them that are in the country helping people.

[00:16:03]For example, if they close, imagine the impact because some of them will close because some of them will not accept to register as foreign agents.

[00:16:12]Because if you register as a foreign agent, then you are turning yourself into a very unsafe bracket which may land you into trouble later. Their lawyers are going to advise them not to continue with this.

[00:16:24]So, I want you to think of it [music] well.

[00:16:27]All this is reducing money that is coming into the economy of Uganda.

[00:16:32]Foreign investors, there are lots of companies in Uganda that employ you, employ your children, or employ your relatives.

[00:16:43]These organizations, these companies, most of them are going to fall into trouble.

[00:16:50]These companies operate on huge money, but now they have to declare. They have to go and get approval. They have to register themselves >> [music] >> as agents.

[00:17:01]This is going to lead to only one thing, loss of employment and shutting the economy.

[00:17:08]And then, think about it this way. If you are shutting out money, money that is coming into the country, you're closing it. What is that happening?

[00:17:16]Because the money that comes into Uganda is in dollars. If you close the window or close the door or close the gate of that fence we talked about, that money stops coming in. How does it affect the country? There is less dollar in circulation. What will happen then is a spike in the dollar rates.

[00:17:35]A drop in the shilling.

[00:17:38]The shilling has been improving very good. It has been behaving very good against the dollar for some time now.

[00:17:44]It's been not so bad.

[00:17:47]We expected it to be worse.

[00:17:49]But it has been all right and stable.

[00:17:52]With this new law, give it 1 2 3 weeks.

[00:17:58]You might start buying $1 at 4,000 5,000. It will go up.

[00:18:04]The lesser the circulation starts to, [music] you know, become real, the dollar will go up.

[00:18:10]And when the dollar goes up, what happens?

[00:18:13]You buy fuel in dollars. Every dot or every drop of fuel that comes to Uganda is bought in dollar. You know the petrodollar for those who read.

[00:18:23]Every fuel that comes is bought in dollars. What does that mean?

[00:18:27]>> [music] >> It means the fuel will be bought very expensively and it comes in. Meaning your boda boda guy will charge you more.

[00:18:34]Your taxi guy will charge you more. You want to go to the village, they'll charge you more. Food that is coming from come from from Gulu or or Nwoya to Kampala will now cost more to transport.

[00:18:46]Irish that is coming from Mbarara to Kampala will now cost you more because the transport is expensive. Irish that you've been buying at 1,000 in a short time from now, you'll be buying it times two or times three of that price.

[00:19:01]By just stating these simple things.

[00:19:03]Two, this will affect Uganda, the relationship of Uganda with other countries. [music] Because some of some of some countries do not want to work with dictators. This is a dictatorship bill. They're calling it sovereignty, but I don't see anything sovereign here. You can't tell me You can't tell me that you're protecting the sovereignty of Uganda, but actually recently you just you just signed a health agreement health funding agreement with USA that permits you to give all the patients that are from Uganda to the United States.

[00:19:35]You're looking at me now, but details of you, details of your children, details of your mother, of your dead ones, anyone that visited the hospital is in America. These are not my words, it's a fact.

[00:19:47]Now, how sovereign is that?

[00:19:50]You cannot talk of sovereignty and you're using everything from the USA. I mean, USA or UK or China. China is dictating everything happening. You go to Entebbe, you see Chinese writing. You come to hospitals that some of us were born in like Naguru is now China friendship. How is that then how we keeping ourself away from foreign, you know, foreign interference?

[00:20:14]You are receiving funding as a government, but you don't want the small organizations to receive. It's like a father walking naked and then he beats the son for walking naked.

[00:20:25]I'll end this video by saying sovereignty is about protecting the rights of Ugandans, protecting the future of Ugandans, protecting the livelihood of Ugandans.

[00:20:39]But if the law is coming in that looks like it's only locking a certain sector or a group of people in Uganda who are the poor.

[00:20:48]That bill does not That law doesn't look like sovereignty, it simply looks like a dictatorship.

[00:20:55]That's why I call it the dictatorship law.

[00:20:58]Give me your comments in the comment section. Do you think this law is actually to protect Uganda or do you think it's actually shutting Uganda from the rest of the world? Thank you so much. My name is Lobid Mucurezi W'amwaya and this is Afro West UG. I hope by now you're well conversant with this law.

[00:21:16]What was removed, what laws have stayed, and how this affects you, your mother, you abroad, your church, [music] and the NGOs.

[00:21:27]We We meet in another video. I told you the next video is going to be about dual citizenship. I hope I see you in that video. It's going to be very very important. When I said dual citizenship, I'm not meaning the people abroad only who are who are dual citizens. No, even you at home. Because who knows where you're going to be in 10 years.

[00:21:43]Secondly, maybe you're related to somebody who is a dual citizen. All these things affect you and me and everybody. So, let's stay locked and we wait for that video. For now, thank you so much. Remember to subscribe, like, and share this video and comment and tell me what you think. Thank you so much. My name is Lobid Mucurezi W'amwaya. We meet in the next one.

[00:22:06]Nyaloo.

[00:22:09]How are [music] you today?

[00:22:11]Hey.

[00:22:12]It's your nini.

[00:22:15]>> [music] >> Good morning.