ULS Asks Finance Minister to Revoke Certificate on Sovereignty Bill

The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has written to the Ministry of Finance demanding that it revoke a certificate of financial implication it issued in relation to the Protection of Sovereignty Bill.  

The lawyers’ body says the certificate signed by State Minister for Finance, Amos Logolobi, does not comply with the Public Finance Management Act and the guidelines for the request of and issuance of a certificate of financial implications.  

Asiimwe Anthony, the Vice President of the Uganda Law Society, wrote a letter addressed to Amos Logolobi on Wednesday, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the certificate of financial implication dated 15th April 2026.

He demanded that the certificate must be reissued in fulfillment of section 74 of the Public Finance Management Act and the guidelines on issuance of the Certificate of Financial Implications.  

Section 74 of the Public Finance Management Act requires the Minister for Finance to examine every Bill and certify its financial implications to Parliament before the Bill proceeds.

The Uganda Law Society is of the view that there was inadequate budgetary and fiscal analysis of the Bill. “The Certificate identifies an additional burden of 29 billion shillings for administration technology, capacity building, and enforcement,” reads the letter in part.

The letter was received by the Ministry of Finance on 29th April 2026. It was also received by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs on the same day.  

The Law Society says the Bill imposes extensive new functions on the Department of Peace and Security in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, yet the certificate provides no analysis of how current expenditures would be reprioritized or reduced to accommodate them.

The Uganda Law Society, Bank of Uganda, Uganda Bankers Association, and several civil society organizations have urged Parliament to reject the Bill now before the joint Committee of Defence and International Affairs and that of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Many have said that the Bill, if passed in the current form, will severely affect remittances from abroad. The Bank of Uganda Governor warned that it will curtail Uganda’s economy, more especially the reserves.

Asiimwe, in the letter, said the certificate’s treatment of the impact on the economy is limited to a brief restatement of the Bill’s policy objective.

“This does not constitute a proper economic impact assessment. A compliant assessment must analyze how the proposed legislation is likely to affect the behavior of economic actors and the functioning of the markets,” said Asiimwe.

Bank of Uganda Governor, Michael Ating-Ego, on Tuesday warned that the Bill risks introducing regulatory fragmentation and “voluntary shocks” that could undermine Uganda’s economic strength and financial stability.