Regulatory frame for NGOs
Regulatory frame work and regulatory body for NGO’s in Uganda?
- Regulatory Framework
Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are regulated by a legal regime of namely;
- The Non Governmental Organizations Act 2016. This is the principal legislation on NGO’s in Uganda. The Act was recently passed by parliament and assented to by the president on 30th Jan 2016. S. 56(1) repealed and replaced the Non Governmental Organizations Act Cap 113.
- The Non Governmental Organizations Regulations SI NO 19/2009. These Regulations are saved under s.56 (2) of the 2016 Act which provided inter alia that the regulations shall remain in force in so far as they are consistent with the Act until expressly revoked by statutory instrument under the Act. The regulations provide for the procedure of implementing the parent Act.
- Regulatory body
National Bureau for Non Governmental Organisations
The 2016 Act creates the National Bureau for Non Governmental Organisations as a body responsible for regulating the operations of NGOs in Uganda. The Bureau which is a new creature introduced by the Act replaced the Non Governmental Organizations Registration Board for all intents and purposes.
Section 57 vested all rights and obligations of the Board into the Bureau, (including property, assets, money on board account, contracts, agreements, undertakings, securities, any proceedings etc) and former employees of the board continued in office as employees of the bureau on similar terms and conditions.
This bureau is established as body corporate with perpetual succession, common seal, power to sue and to be sued, purchase and hold property, enter into contracts and to do all lawful things a corporate body is capable of doing. The Bureau also has branch offices at every district.