Uganda: Opposition Proposes Sweeping Reforms to Uganda's Justice, Public Order Laws

The opposition in Uganda's 12th Parliament has proposed sweeping legal and governance reforms targeting public assemblies, the criminal justice system, presidential administration, public spending, refugee management and disaster preparedness.

The proposals are contained in the opposition legislative priorities for FY2026/27-FY2030/31, prepared by the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.

The five-year legislative agenda seeks to amend or introduce laws intended to strengthen constitutionalism, accountability, fiscal discipline, access to justice and public participation in governance.

Among the key proposals are the harmonisation of laws governing public assemblies, abolition of committal proceedings for capital offences, transfer of powers over mentally incapacitated accused persons from the Minister to courts, creation of a presidential transition framework and statutory controls on presidential advisers, donations and State House expenditure.

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The opposition also wants Parliament to strengthen public consultation on Bills, integrate refugee services into local government planning and establish a comprehensive legal framework for disaster risk management.

Leader of the opposition in Parliament, Joel Ssenyonyi, has previously stressed that Parliament must exercise its constitutional oversight role rather than merely approve Executive proposals.

"Parliament was never designed as a passage point for Government proposals. It exists to interrogate policy before it becomes law, to scrutinise expenditure before it is authorised, and to demand accountability after public resources have been spent," Ssenyonyi said.

He also described a strong opposition as essential to preventing abuse of public power.

"A strong opposition is one of the principal safeguards against the abuse of public power," he said.

Public Order Laws

A major component of the Opposition's agenda is the harmonisation of laws regulating public assemblies.

The opposition says provisions governing assemblies are currently scattered across the Penal Code Act, Police Act, Cap. 324, and Public Order Management Act, Cap. 326, creating conflicting provisions and definitions of unlawful assemblies.

The legislative priorities document argues that some of the provisions date back to the period before the 1995 Constitution.

It proposes consolidating the relevant provisions into a single legal framework and eliminating conflicting definitions of an unlawful assembly.

The proposed amendments would also remove provisions that criminalise assemblies based on an arresting officer's perception rather than actual conduct, clarify who qualifies as an "authorised person" under the Public Order Management Act and require authorised persons to acknowledge receipt of notices for public meetings.

According to the opposition, the reforms would provide greater legal certainty, reduce arbitrary dispersal of lawful assemblies and bring public-order legislation into conformity with Article 29 of the Constitution, which protects freedoms including peaceful assembly, demonstration and petition.

Ssenyonyi has similarly argued in previous parliamentary debates that existing laws should not be used to undermine constitutional rights.

In April, while opposing the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, he warned that legislation should not unnecessarily duplicate existing laws or create new restrictions where adequate legal provisions already exist.

The opposition is also seeking the abolition of committal proceedings for capital offences under the Magistrates Courts Act, describing the existing procedure as a "colonial-era relic."

Under the proposal, suspects facing capital charges would be committed directly to the High Court without going through the existing committal process.

The opposition argues that the current system contributes to delays in the trial of capital cases and prolongs pre-trial detention.

The proposal comes as the number of High Court judges has increased to 150, which the Opposition says provides an opportunity to redesign the system for faster disposal of criminal cases.

The proposed justice reforms would further introduce digital justice provisions in line with the Judiciary's digitisation programme, expand the criminal jurisdiction of magistrates' courts to cover all offences except treason and terrorism, and codify pre-trial disclosure and plea-bargaining procedures.

The opposition also wants to establish a clear pathway for the qualification and promotion of magistrates.

It proposes amendments to the Trial on Indictments Act requiring the High Court to sit continuously instead of relying on periodic criminal sessions.

According to the legislative priorities document, the availability of 150 High Court judges and the establishment of additional circuits should allow resident judges to conduct continuous hearings across the country.

The opposition says this would facilitate the daily disposal of cases, reduce case backlog and give practical effect to the constitutional right to a speedy trial.

The opposition is also targeting the legal treatment of accused persons and convicts who are found mentally incapable of participating in their defence.

It says the current law gives a Minister, rather than the courts, authority to determine whether such persons should be detained, treated or released.

The legislative priorities document cites Bushoborozi Eric v Uganda, HCMC No. 11 of 2015, in which an accused person was reportedly detained for 14 years while awaiting ministerial action that never came.

The proposed amendments to the Trial on Indictments Act and Magistrates Courts Act would transfer the decision-making powers from the Minister to the courts.

Courts would be required to seek assistance from mental health experts, impose limits on detention periods and use terminology consistent with the Mental Health Act.

The reforms would also require courts to make specific findings about a person's mental state rather than simply declaring the person insane.

The opposition says the changes would prevent prolonged detention and strengthen protections for persons with mental illness who come into contact with the criminal justice system.

Parliament to Face Stronger Public Consultation Rules

The opposition further wants Parliament's Rules of Procedure amended to establish minimum standards for public consultation on Bills.

The proposal targets Rule 135(2), which currently gives parliamentary committees broad discretion over how consultations are conducted.

The opposition says the absence of minimum standards has resulted in inconsistent public participation during the legislative process.

It proposes requirements covering access to information, feedback mechanisms and accountability for committees that fail to undertake adequate consultations.

The opposition says the reforms would strengthen Article 1 of the Constitution, which provides that power belongs to the people.

The opposition also proposes a Presidential Transition Bill to establish a statutory framework for the transfer of executive power at the end of a presidential term.

It argues that Uganda currently lacks a formal law governing presidential transitions, creating potential risks of institutional uncertainty during changes in leadership.

The proposed legislation would establish a government-funded framework for an orderly transfer of executive authority.

It would provide for office space, funding, staff compensation and administrative support for incoming presidents and vice presidents.

The opposition says the transition process should be conducted with "dignity, stability, and constitutional fidelity."

The opposition is also seeking statutory controls on the number of Presidential Advisors.

Through a proposed Public Service (Amendment) Bill, it wants Parliament to establish a predetermined number of advisory positions organised around specific thematic offices.

The proposal is intended to address what the Opposition describes as the unchecked expansion of the presidential advisory establishment and its implications for public expenditure.

The Bill would also introduce tighter restrictions on supplementary budget requests by State House and penalties for expenditure above approved allocations.

The opposition says the measures would strengthen fiscal discipline within the Executive.

Ssenyonyi has repeatedly linked Parliament's oversight mandate to responsible management of public resources.

"Parliament exists to interrogate policy before it becomes law, to scrutinise expenditure before it is authorised, and to demand accountability after public resources have been spent," he said.

The opposition further proposes regulations governing presidential donations.

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The proposed framework would establish a legal cap on annual allocations for public handouts and introduce transparent and auditable criteria for identifying and approving beneficiaries.

The opposition argues that the absence of a clear statutory framework for requesting, vetting and distributing presidential donations creates gaps in transparency and accountability.

It wants the process brought under clear legal and financial controls.

The legislative agenda also proposes reforms to refugee management.

A proposed Refugee (Amendment) Bill would integrate refugee service delivery into district local government budgets and improve coordination between host communities and humanitarian agencies.

The opposition says refugee-related services should form part of local government planning rather than operate largely outside district budgeting structures.

On disaster preparedness, the opposition proposes a Disaster Risk Management Bill that would criminalise the diversion of emergency relief funds, establish automated early-warning systems and integrate disaster preparedness into local government planning.

The proposed law is intended to strengthen Uganda's ability to prepare for and respond to disasters while improving accountability in the management of emergency resources.

The opposition says the proposals are designed to address what it considers gaps in Uganda's legal and governance framework.

In the justice sector, the reforms are expected to reduce case backlog and prolonged pre-trial detention, improve access to justice and strengthen safeguards for persons with mental illness.

In public administration, the opposition wants to control the expansion of presidential appointments, strengthen accountability in State House expenditure and create a formal mechanism for presidential transitions.

It also expects stronger controls on presidential donations and supplementary budgets to reduce what it describes as fiscal indiscipline and free resources for priority sectors including health, education and infrastructure.

The opposition's broader argument is that Parliament must play a stronger role in scrutinising government policy, legislation and public expenditure