🔥 The Protection of Sovereignty Bill in Parliament! Joel Ssenyonyi vs Anita Among

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]The Minister of Internal Affairs tabled the protection of sovereignty bill 2026 for the first reading.

[00:00:11]Pursuant Rule 135 of the rules of procedia of Parliament.

[00:00:19]The bill was referred to a joint committee of defense and internal affairs and legal and parliamentary affairs.

[00:00:31]The committee has concluded the consideration of the bill and is ready to report and pursuant to rule 1361 of the rules of procedia.

[00:00:48]I will invite the minister to move his motion for the second reading before I will give you to bring your issue. Please honorable let him first move then I'll give you to bring your issue.

[00:01:07]>> Okay.

[00:01:15]Thank you, Madam Speaker.

[00:01:19]Madame Speaker, the bill you have invited this house to consider is a government bill.

[00:01:28]I saw a tweet by the head of government and a letter signed by retired General Yeri Kabuta Musevani Tibura.

[00:01:46]That's not part of the names.

[00:01:50]>> So in his letter, rightable speaker, he actually disowned >> L. Is it in his letter?

[00:01:58]>> Yes.

[00:01:59]>> Can I submit? Right. Honorable.

[00:02:01]>> No, I want us to talk with evidence. Can we lay the letter on table?

[00:02:05]>> I came prepared. Madam Speaker, here is a copy of the letter. I am tableling it.

[00:02:08]>> I have never seen a letter from state house in white.

[00:02:16]Madame speaker, this is a copy of the letter and I am tableabling it.

[00:02:20]>> Normally we table documents then they can be processed and authenticated and so on. But let me raise the point I was raising. Madame speaker in this letter he disowned the bill that was tabled by the minister of state for internal affairs. In fact he was appalled wondering what it is that we were debating.

[00:02:45]Also what bothered me madame speaker in his letter he said he called the two chairpersons of committees regarding this bill. I don't know how procedurally that gets to be correct that now the executive gets to me directly because it should be you madam speaker to call chairpersons of committees guide them and so on but if they are getting guidance from the executive it's a problematic issue.

[00:03:10]Madame Speaker, the attorney general and the minister of state for internal affairs went back to the joint committee and they made amendments to majority of the clauses in the bill. Please note for those who have been following amendments to majority of the clauses in the bill. For all intents and purposes, Madame Speaker and colleagues, this was now a new bill for all intents and purposes.

[00:03:43]And and by the way, there's precedents that have been set by this house even in the previous parliament where >> honorable members, I want you to listen to Lope. Lope is saying after >> let me actually say what I am saying.

[00:04:00]I'm glad you are protecting me from some noisy politics.

[00:04:04]>> This becomes a new bill. What I would only ask, did the new bill change the objective of the old bill?

[00:04:15]You >> Madame Speaker, and I'm glad you're asking that question because the entire foundation of the bill was torn apart and no wonder the initiator >> is a procedure procedure. Madam I I rose procedurally. Madam speaker procedure cannot counter procedure.

[00:04:33]>> No I gave you space to speak >> but I I raised >> is an order.

[00:04:40]>> An order cannot honorable you've been around for some time. You know that procedure takes precedence. You're going to mislead the new MPs who are coming in the 12th parliament.

[00:04:51]They they need to know and learn from people.

[00:04:54]>> Let let me proceed in honest. Madame Speaker, >> but honorable love, I want to put this on record that we do not have a new bill. We only have one bill. I am the custodian of the law in parliament.

[00:05:12]If the president wanted to make a change in that in the law in the bill, the president ought to have informed me. I am not aware of that. It has not come to my attention.

[00:05:27]I am the one processing the bills here.

[00:05:30]So if he sent it for public and if he called the chairpersons is one of the Ugandans whom we should consult.

[00:05:42]Madame speaker I'm glad you're saying you were not informed and that's part of the problem I'm raising. Why was this house not informed? Especially because majority of the clauses were amended.

[00:05:53]Madame speaker, please protect me from noisy colleagues.

[00:05:57]>> You you always tell us that this is not colleagues. Please let honorable Lob finish let honorable Lob finish his submission.

[00:06:10]No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Honorable members, let's be calm.

[00:06:17]I am the custodian of the law here. I don't have a new law.

[00:06:22]I don't have a new bill. So after honorable has finished, I will ask the minister to move his bill. You finish.

[00:06:34]Thank you.

[00:06:36]So as I was saying, this is me saying and you will rule and guide. For all intents and purposes, as far as I am concerned, this then became a new bill because majority of the clauses in the bill we are changed and there's precedents where ministers have been told no those so many amendments just to withdraw the bill and reintroduce it perhaps what the minister for internal affairs and attorney general should have done was to withdraw this bill >> honorable my madam speaker you're not even allowing me to submit submit you're the one going to rule >> please honorable love my brother honorable love honorable love honorable up.

[00:07:22]Can I have order?

[00:07:26]Can I have order?

[00:07:29]We have We have now started debating in anticipation.

[00:07:33]We don't know what the bill is. When the minister moves his bill, that's when we can reject.

[00:07:44]Please make my work easy.

[00:07:51]I know you leave honorable long to finish.

[00:07:59]Switch on.

[00:08:04]Madame speaker, actually I am seeking to make your work easier. really if you capture what it is that I'm saying because they are moving it for the second time and for me what I was saying is he should have been moving to withdraw the bill. That's my opinion and you're going to give your ruling madam speaker. So I no but they called for reading of the bill for second and third reading.

[00:08:32]>> Okay.

[00:08:33]>> So let let me finish the issue that for me I am raising.

[00:08:36]>> Okay. Madame speaker also stakeholders >> what is the procedure matter that you are raising now?

[00:08:46]>> So the the the procedial matter I'm raising is shouldn't the minister of internal affairs be withdrawing his bill and then he goes back for consultation.

[00:08:56]>> Can I answer that first? Can I answer that first? Maybe it will form your second question that the Minister of Internal Affairs should be moving his motion for the second reading because as far as I know I have not been given another motion. I only have one motion.

[00:09:22]So you will move your sec motion for the second reading.

[00:09:29]Thank you, Madam Speaker. And I'm glad on record you have said you were not notified of a second one. That's something we are going to interrogate because like I'm saying, as far as some of us are concerned, it's a second one.

[00:09:40]Honorable speaker, the committee report to this bill here leaked and it is in the public domain.

[00:09:51]It was first shared on our parliament platforms. media houses have shared it.

[00:09:57]It is all over. Honorable speaker, on 18th of January 2023, you were seated in the chair you seated in and I was standing on this very microphone. I was chairperson of Kosas.

[00:10:11]I rose to present a committee report for Kosas on Uganda Airlines and you said, right honorable speaker, I want to quote you verbatim what was on the answer.

[00:10:22]You said there was a leakage of the Uganda Airlines report. A property of this parliament cannot leak and we continue debating on it.

[00:10:32]Those were your exact words captured on the answerable speaker. This report has leaked. So given that precedent which you said, are we going to go ahead and debate this leaked report?

[00:10:46]>> Thank you.

[00:10:46]>> Because the precedent was set by yourself.

[00:10:49]>> We hope to be there. First of all, honorable members in the VIP gallery, I want to introduce honorable MP elect from Buende.

[00:11:05]You're most welcome honorable Fiona, the elect for workers.

[00:11:13]Most welcome, Fiona Naku.

[00:11:16]And then we have honorable sea good robbert representing people with disability national.

[00:11:25]You're also most welcome. I have honorable matebe Miriam and honorable Emily Otat.

[00:11:44]Honorable members, I want to refer you to rule 14.

[00:11:53]The report of the committee on bills shall and I'm saying shall be uploaded on the parliamentary information system for the information of members before the report is laid on table that is 214A.

[00:12:21]This report that was uploaded had my signature.

[00:12:26]I even said please place it on the order paper with my ver able signature.

[00:12:35]The report of airlines that got out did not have my signature. I am the only one who can sanction a document to be uploaded which I did. So the report was not leaked out. Can you move your motion?

[00:13:11]Right honorable speaker and honorable members, in keeping with rule 130 of the rules of procedure of this parliament, I beg to move that the bill entitled the protection of sovereignty bill 2026 be read the second time.

[00:13:39]>> Seconded Seconded by the Vice President of Republic of Uganda, Honorable Jessica Alupo, retired. Honorable Prime Minister, honorable Navajo, honorable sec second Haj. [clears throat] Third, third government chief whip, minister of defense, minister of inter of the security, minister of ICT, minister of finance, minister of works, minister of of sports and the hollow house on this side.

[00:14:29]and and part part of that house, part of the other side, including Chimong Ro.

[00:14:43]Thank you. Thank you. Would you want to speak to your motion?

[00:14:50]Right honorable speaker and honorable members.

[00:14:56]Can I first have a justification before you you bring the procedure?

[00:15:03]Right honorable speaker and honorable members, the object of this bill is that um the country faces a number of challenges which threaten our ability to self-govern in the absence of a sovereign and specific law which this law seeks to address. And these include uh preventing undue external influence uh regulating foreign funding, safeguarding national security, filling legal gaps and managing digital misinformation. I beg to move.

[00:15:35]>> Thank you honor members.

[00:15:41]I want to provide some guidance in this.

[00:15:50]Honor members, the the chairpersons of the committees have prepared the report and I wish to guide as follows.

[00:16:01]From the time the bill was tabled for the first reading, there's been a very remarkable public interest in it.

[00:16:11]A review of the committee report reveals that more than 60 witnesses were accorded opportunity to present their views on the bill including persons and institutions.

[00:16:30]These answers and questions on whether there was sufficient public consultation or not.

[00:16:39]I commend the committee for upholding our cardinal principle of public participation.

[00:16:49]Two, there was a considerable debate on the content of the bill, notably the definition of the word for the scope of application of this bill, the regulatory prudence envisaged in administration and functions, the proposed penalties, the criminal the criminal offenses, regul relations of foreign policies, registration of agents of foreigners, declaration of foreign funding and ministerial powers among others.

[00:17:32]I have reviewed the report. The committee has established that the contentious matters have been exhaustively handled and addressed as per the public interest.

[00:17:52]The definition of a foreigner for instance was initially brought in a way that was not appealing to the people but the committee has handled now I want I want members there's no procedure I'm giving you guidance I know I'm touching on your minorities honorable members I am giving 30 minutes for the major report to be presented and I am saying 30 minutes where is the chair and I will also give I am aware that is a minority report it doesn't matter matter whether minorities or minority I am also giving the minority or minorities 30 minutes if you have 10 minorities you'll divide 30 minutes by 10 and you'll have three honorable chair and answered I want timing Let him read his report then you'll bring pro. I don't want you to waste his time. I know you you want to you want to exercise your law that you're learning now. You first wait.

[00:19:37]First wait.

[00:19:40][snorts] First wait. H first wait.

[00:19:45]>> I have given you 30 minutes.

[00:19:47]>> Thank you. Right honorable speaker.

[00:19:50]Right honorable speaker for the record my name is Wilson Kaj member of parliament constituency and chairperson of defense and internal affairs committee I'll be assisted by my colleague the chap honorable baka Steven Mugabi chairperson legal and parliamental affairs may I take the honor to to lay on the table the minutes of the committee the joint committees while processing and considering this report.

[00:20:24]>> Thank you.

[00:20:25]>> Honorable speaker >> indeed I'll take the 30 minutes. Right honorable speaker, on Wednesday 15th April 2026, the protection of civility bill 2026 was read for the first time under rule 1351 of the rules of procedure of parliament.

[00:20:51]You referred to the joint committee made up of committees of defense and internal affairs and the committee on legal and parliament affairs for scrutiny and rep. We are now reporting under the same rule of procedure. Right honorable speaker, the joint committee here referred to as the committee has examined the bill taking into account submissions from stakeholders and now presents this report.

[00:21:20]This report sets the committee's analysis of the bill's objectives, the key provisions, likely effects together with a synthesis of stakeholder views and committee's recommendations to parliament. The object of the bill, the object of the bill is to enact a law that seeks to provide for the protection of the sovereignity of the people of Uganda.

[00:21:50]Two, to designate the department responsible for peace and security and the responsible entity for the registration and regulation of agents of foreigners. Three, to provide for the protection of the sovereignity of Uganda and provide for the registration of agents of foreigners and to regulate the funding and any other assistance to agents of foreigners and for the related matters. defects in the existing law.

[00:22:22]The bill identifies principle defect in the existing law framework legal framework as the absence of a specific law operationalizing the protection of Uganda's sovereignity which has allowed continued external interference in the government policies and programs. In particular, it points out the increasing influence of foreign actors and their agents in shaping policy and development priorities, often through conditional grant, conditional funding and parallel programs that conflict with national objectives. It further highlights inadequate regulation of civil society organizations especially those receiving foreign funding leading concerns about transparency and alignment with national objectives. Additionally, the bill notes the growing use of digital platforms, foreign actors to by foreign actors spread misinformation and incite social discord collectively undermining Uganda's ability to selfgovern independently and safeguard its political, economic and social stability. Right honorable speaker, what method did we use? Methodology In considering the protection of sovereign bill 2026, the committee undertook an extensive and transparent stakeholder engagement process to ensure broad participation. Public notices were published in the dailies I mean vision and monitor on 17th April. We invited memoranda and views from all interested parties. This was to facilitate meaningful input. The committee suspended the seings for one week to allow stakeholders adequate time to prepare and submit written memoranda upon resumption on 24th of April. Right honorable speaker and honorable colleagues stakeholders who had expressed interested opportunity to present their views. The committee engaged them directly seeking clarifications where necessary. In total, and this is unprecedented, right, honorable speaker and honorable colleagues, in total, the committee interfaced with 224 stakeholders clusted clustered under 60 groups drawn from diverse sectors in the diaspora. The Global Forum Uganda Diaspora Council whose memoranda included views of Ugandans drawn from 32 countries across all regions that gave their perspectives on the bill.

[00:25:12]In addition to the hearing from stakeholders who appeared before the committee, the committee also took into account the perspectives shared by his excellency the president in his guidance to the nation through his letter particularly that was addressed to the bas regarding the bill.

[00:25:34]Following these engagements, right honorable speaker, the committee held further sittings during which the learned attorney general responded to the stakeholder concerns and proposed refinements to the bill. The interactive process ensured that the review incorporated both legal scrutiny and practical implementation considerations.

[00:25:56]This structured approach characterized by open invitations, dedicated submission time, inclusive hearings, responsible dialogue demonstrates that the committee's work was informed by a wide participatory and national representative consultation process.

[00:26:16]The stakeholders the committee interfaced with include the following. It is important, right honorable speaker, that this goes on record.

[00:26:26]We have clustered them like this. We had stakeholders under government and public institutions. These are actors with statutory mandates that include Bank of Uganda, Financial Intelligence Authority, National Planning Authority, Uganda Human Rights Commission, the Parliamentary Committees.

[00:26:46]We also had another cluster of legal and professional bodies and organizations that focused on the law like Uganda Law Society, like East African Law Society, the Law Development Center, Center for Constitutional Governance that had in their in their entrage member former members and former ministers of government.

[00:27:12]independent legal and practical practitioners who forwarded multiple submissions. We had political actors and movements, political parties or politically affiliated formations. These include alliance for national transformation, forum for democratic change, national unity platform, the people's front for freedom. And for the record, the handset must capture this right honorable speaker that Uganda People's Congress appeared and gave their views and that the leader of opposition also appeared and gave his views.

[00:27:54]I'm mentioning it for the capture of the handset.

[00:27:58]We also entertained we also entertained private sector and business associations that include the Chamber of Commerce, Compara Arcade Traders Association, Compara City Traders Association, Uganda Small Scale Industries Association, Uganda National Traders Association, the Gen Z's Business Owners Association, Innovation Village, the Startup Ecosystem, and the Independent Private Sector Consultants.

[00:28:28]We did not stop there. We entertained financial, insurance, economic sector actors. These include the sector specific institutional stakeholders that include Uganda Bankers Association, supervised financial institutions like banks, mobile money operators via sector uh submissions. We also entertained payment service providers association.

[00:28:52]We also entertained Uganda Forex Bureau and money remittances association.

[00:28:58]They too appeared and gave their views.

[00:29:00]We also considered digital telecom media actors in communication broadcasting and digital economy include communication sector operators, national association broadcasters, media practitioners, journalists and journalism practitioners. We also entertained civil society and non-government organizations both domestic and inter international civic actors that include anti-corruption coalition of Uganda foundation for human rights initiative legal aid service providers association the Rotary Uganda women proono initiative country directors of international network and various national nos also submitted we also entertained international National organizations and development actors under this martinat organizations and international cooperation actors these include United Nations country team international NGO community collectively represented we did not stop there right honorable speaker and honorable colleagues we entertained a labor religious and social institutions that include not two that include interreligious council of Uganda that include Muslim organizations coalition and other faith-based organizations. We entertained health scientific community and public health research institutions, eg Uganda Medical Association, Uganda Virus Research Institute, people's living with HIV advocacy groups. We also entertained education and academic sector that include material university academic staff association, universities and academic researchers, student groups and members of the guild also submitted national union of disabled persons of Uganda, Uganda lawyers voice on climate change, gender rights and advocacy climate advocacy groups. We also entertained diaspora, transnational communities, Ugandan actors, the global forum. This is an organization that groups all Ugandans in the diaspora. The CHO association. NUP diaspora chapter. Individual diaspora submissions. We went further and entertained professional and individual submissions. These are unaffiliated and crosscutting.

[00:31:25]independent consultants, individual citizens, business professionals, researchers. Right honorable speaker, we consulted documents.

[00:31:38]Consequently, the committee recommendations reflect a balanced synthesis of stakeholder perspectives in the key findings and salient observations. Right honorable speaker, permit me to present key findings and salient observations on the sovereign protection bureau of 2026.

[00:31:59]Introductory consideration looking at the scope and interpretation of clause two before presenting its findings. The committee found it prudent to clarify the key interpretive issue of clause two which is application of the bill. close to sits at the core of the legislative framework and it defines the reach of the law and determines who is regulated and what circumstances and for what conduct. The committee reviewed the honorable attorney general's comments noting that clause 2 limits the bill to specific activities tied to foreign influence. According to the landed attorney general interpretation, the bill does not apply to a persons generally to all persons generally that it applies only with persons acting as agents of foreign actors and that even then only where such a persons engage in specific conduct including influencing government policy, political processes or public decision making for the interest of foreigners. The attorney general clarified that clause two is meant to limit the bill not to expand it. He guided that it applies only to agents of foreign actors and only when they engage in specific influence related activities eg affecting government policy policies or public decision making. In addition, the learned attorney general noted that the bill is activity based not identity based. So ordinary transactions like remittances, businesses, family support are excluded unless tied to regulated influence. On this reading, the bill presented a targeted regulatory instrument aimed at structured foreign influence operations rather than legitimate international engagement. However, the committee observes that this interpretation while persuasive as a matter of policy intent is not shared by the majority of stakeholders. There is a gap between the AG's intended narrow scope and how the bill is actually drafted. When clause 2 is read together with broad definitions in clause one and the expansive list of activities including concepts such as influencing public opinion and activities that the minister may prescribe stakeholders interpreted the bill as having a much wider um practical effect. The East African Law Society for example in their submission warned that the term agent of a foreigner enclosed two could apply to regular economic professional and family connections such as employees of foreign businesses, traders and those receiving support from relatives abroad. The law development center noted that in close the that close to does not distinguish harmful actions from lawful ones. So the people could be held liable simply because of their associations not because they caused any actual harm. The this divergence right honorable speaker and honorable colleagues reveals a fundamental issue. The intended limitations of close two are not sufficiently clear on the face of the law creating uncertainty as the as to the boundary between harmful foreign influence and legitimate activity. While the attorney general maintains that clause two limits application specific regul regulated activities stakeholders consistently note that this limitation is not clearly reflected in drafting.

[00:35:39]Therefore the committee found that the line between harmful foreign interference and legitimate activities is unclear. Close to is meant as a safeguard but not effectively to limit the bill. This gap policy and the law shapes all the committee subsequent findings.

[00:36:02]5.2 Understanding sovereignity. We looked at what the 1995 constitution says versus what the bill proposes.

[00:36:12]Sovereignity under the 1995 constitution as amended.