Politics 5 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Parliament Gears Up for Tense Clash Over Sovereignty Bill
Uganda's opposition and NRM lawmakers are preparing for a heated parliamentary debate on the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026, with strategy sessions and heightened security amid deep divisions. Critics warn the legislation could curb foreign influence but stifle civil society. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/opposition-ruling-nrm-party-brace-for-showdown-over-sovereignty-bill-5447560
Uganda’s lawmakers from the opposition and ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) entered high-stakes preparations on Tuesday for a parliamentary showdown over the proposed Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026.
Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi held a shadow cabinet meeting at Parliament to align strategies, receiving updates from committee members on the minority report. He urged NRM MPs to heed stakeholder concerns, noting even the Bank of Uganda flagged issues with the bill.
Ssenyonyi called for reasoned debate over physical confrontations, criticizing heavy security blocking access roads around Parliament as a sign of government anxiety. ‘We are getting ready for a brain fight,’ he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua called NRM legislators to a caucus at the Office of the President. State Minister for ICT Godfrey Baluku Kabyanga warned against disruptions, assuring smooth proceedings after consultations with over 200 stakeholders from 32 countries via joint committees.
The bill aims to counter foreign influence in Uganda’s politics and civic space but faces backlash for potentially limiting civil society and religious groups’ funding and activities. Debate was slated for later that day.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)