Uganda Law Society Launches UGX 2.301B Sovereignty Defence Fund to Challenge New Law.

KAMPALA: The Uganda Law Society (ULS) today launched the Sovereignty Defence Fund, a UGX 2.301 billion [∼$630,000] war chest to mount a legal and public campaign against the recently assented Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026. 

The new law according to the Radical New Bar Bar threatens press, NGOs, diaspora and ordinary citizens among others.

The announcement was made at ULS House by ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe, in the presence of the Chief Executive Officer and other members of the Bar. The fund will finance public education, advocacy, litigation and legal aid for those affected by the new law.

Parliament passed the Bill on 5 May 2026 and it has since received presidential assent. ULS says the legislation, despite its name, undermines the very people in whom constitutional sovereignty rests.

“Sovereignty belongs to the people. So must its defence,” ULS said in a statement to partners and the public. “We cannot watch this happen in silence.”

‘Chilling effect on freedoms’:

ULS argues the Bill goes far beyond regulating foreign influence and imposes criminal penalties that are “crushing” and applied to conduct that is loosely defined.

“By the standard our own Constitution sets in Article 43(2)(c) — that any limitation on a fundamental right must be ‘acceptable and demonstrably justifiable in a free and democratic society’ — these penalties are plainly disproportionate,” the Society stated. “They are designed not to deter narrow wrongs, but to chill broad freedoms.”

The Bar warned that the law could criminalize ordinary activities such as a journalist filing a story for an international wire, an NGO running a rural health clinic on a donor grant, or a Ugandan in London sending school fees home.

“A son in London sending school fees to his sister in Mbale could be pulled into a ‘foreign agent’ investigation,” ULS said. “A pastor in Arua, a teacher in Gulu, a youth-group convener in Mukono — anyone in entirely lawful international association — could find their conduct reframed as a crime against the State.”

Economic and legal response:

The Society estimates USD 2.5 billion in annual diaspora remittances, donor programmes, and foreign investment could be jeopardized by legal unpredictability created by the Bill.

“We have seen laws of this design in other parts of the world. They begin narrow. They never stay narrow,” ULS warned.

The UGX 2.301B fund will be deployed across four fronts:

1. *Public Education – UGX 266M*: Radio, TV, print and national dialogues to explain the law’s impact.

2. *Coalitions & Diaspora Coordination – UGX 550M*: Unite legal, civic and economic voices locally and abroad.

3. *High-Level Advocacy – UGX 78M*: Engage the Presidency, Parliament, EAC, African Commission and diplomatic missions to seek amendment, delay or review.

4. *Litigation & Victim Support – UGX 1.220B*: Strategic constitutional petitions and a UGX 400M Legal Aid Fund to defend journalists, CSO leaders, editors and families prosecuted under the Act.

Call to the public:

ULS Board Secretary Sali Babu said the fund is not for the Society’s coffers but for defending the sovereignty of Ugandans.

“This is a call to the members of the public,” Babu said. “This money is not going to the coffers of ULS but to be used to defend the sovereignty of the people of Uganda. I call on people to take this seriously, especially Sections 3(2)(e) and 3(2)(d). Sovereignty belongs to the people, and so does its defence.”

He urged individuals and organizations to contribute toward the UGX 2.301B target.

How to contribute:

Donations can be made to:

*Account Name*: Uganda Law Society

*Bank*: Standard Chartered Bank Uganda Limited

*Account No.*: 0102010622409

*SWIFT*: SCBLUGKAXXX

*Branch*: Kampala Main Branch

*Reference*: SDF-[Your Name/Organisation]

Mobile Money payments are accepted via SchoolPay using MTN _165_80# and Airtel _185_6*2# with SchoolPay Account Number 1011780026.

The fund will be subject to independent audit and regular public reporting, ULS said.

“The window is closing fast,” ULS said. “If you believe in fair justice, a free press, and a predictable environment for business, civil society and family life, please stand with the Uganda Law Society today.”

The statement was issued at ULS House, Kampala, on 14 May 2026, and signed by ULS President Isaac K. Ssemakadde, S.C..