UGANDA
Legal framework on freedom of religion and actual application
The Constitution of Uganda bans any form of religious discrimination and declares that there shall be no state religion.
Article 29 (1,c) of the constitution gives Ugandans the “freedom to practise any religion and manifest such practice, which shall include the right to belong to and participate in the practices of any religious body or organisation in a manner consistent with this constitution”.[1]
Although Ugandan citizens can enjoy freedom of thought, conscience, and belief, the government can limit these rights with “measures that are reasonably justifiable for dealing with a state of emergency” (Article 46, 2).[2]
It is forbidden to create political parties based on religion (Article 71, 1,b). Religious groups are required to register with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau to obtain legal status; to operate, they must also obtain a licence from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. However, the government does not strictly enforce the act’s requirements on large religious groups such as the Catholic, Anglican, Orthodox and Seventh-day Adventist Churches and the UMSC” (Uganda Muslim Supreme Council).[3]
Religious education is optional in state secondary schools, and they may choose which, if any, religions to make a part of their studies.[4]
The historical predominance of the Anglican and Catholic Churches has been challenged by the existence of approximately 40,000 Evangelical congregations and their growing influence in Ugandan political spheres.[5] Of concern, however, is a rapid growth in cults.
In August 2021, Uganda’s National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organizations — the semi-autonomous body responsible for overseeing religious and humanitarian organisations — suspended the operations of 54 NGOs, citing alleged violations of regulatory requirements, in what was perceived as a politically motivated clampdown.[6] In 2022, a Ugandan court overturned at least one of these suspensions, criticising procedural irregularities and lack of due process.[7] In September 2024, the National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations, which oversaw religious organisations, was dissolved following the adoption of Statutory Instrument No. 73. Its responsibilities were transferred to a newly established department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, accompanied by a drastic reduction in staff from 42 to 12. This restructuring marked the end of the bureau’s relative independence and indicated a broader trend toward increased government centralisation in the regulation of NGOs operating within the country.[8]
In March 2024, the government began the process of investigating the finances of religious organisations. It started developing a policy that would require religious organisations to register under umbrella networks and account for the funds they receive and hold. The Permanent Secretary of the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity (DEI), Alex Okello, declared that there ought to be transparency in the finances of religious organisations.[9] Critics of the proposed policy expressed concern that the government intends to pass policy for religious and faith organisations (RFO) via executive order rather than by Parliament. The DEI, under the auspices of the Office of the President, could also decide whether a religious institution had the right to operate.[10]
Incidents and developments
Despite being regarded as one of the region’s more stable countries, Uganda continues to grapple with significant external and internal pressures. Its geographic proximity to conflict zones in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan — together with its role as a leading contributor to the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia — exposes the country to transnational terrorist threats.[11]
At the same time, Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa and the third largest globally, with more than 1.93 million refugees as of September 2025. The majority originate from South Sudan (57 percent) and the DRC (31 percent), with others arriving from the Horn of Africa, including Somalia and Eritrea.[12] Uganda’s refugee policy is widely recognised as one of the most progressive in the world, granting access to land, education, healthcare and employment. However, mounting financial strain has eroded its capacity to sustain this model.[13]
In March 2023, parliament passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act, which prescribes up to life imprisonment for homosexual activity, and the death penalty for homosexual activity involving people under 18 or when someone is infected with HIV/AIDS.[14] Later that month experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council stated that the law was in breach of Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and that the imposition of the death penalty was “an egregious violation of human rights”.[15] The law, they added, could lead to violations to the rights to non-discrimination, freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.[16]
In June 2023, the Ugandan government repatriated 80 members of the Christ Disciples Church in Ethiopia to Uganda. The Church members had travelled to Ethiopia after the cult leader said they would find Jesus if they fasted without food for forty days.[17]
Also in June 2023, Ugandan police arrested 20 people, including the headteacher, who were suspected of collaborating with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) in an attack on a school in western Uganda, on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Forty-two people died as the terrorists shot students, hacked them with machetes and set fire to their dormitories. Authorities said it was the deadliest attack on Uganda since the twin bombings in Kampala in 2010 that killed 76 people. The ADF emerged in the mid-1990s in western Uganda as a rebel group opposed to President Yoweri Museveni's government.[18]
In June 2023, the Anglican Archbishop of Uganda, Stephen Samuel Kaziimba Mugalu, said that the Anti-Homosexuality Act was good and that he was grateful to the president for assenting to it. “Homosexuality,” he said, “is being forced on us by outside foreign actors against our will, against our culture, and against our religious beliefs.” He called for life imprisonment in place of the death penalty.[19]
The Catholic Church has repeatedly warned the faithful about individuals impersonating clergy to deceive communities. In September 2023, diocesan authorities reported cases of impostors claiming to be visiting bishops from West Africa who attempted to celebrate Mass without proper authorisation. In response, Church leaders instructed the faithful not to attend any liturgical services unless officially confirmed by the local diocese. Later, in November 2023, Fr Didas Kasapuri from Mbarara issued a public warning regarding individuals masquerading as priests — specifically naming “Fr Hillary” and “Fr Kiyemba” — who had been conducting prayer meetings in private homes under false pretences. He urged parishioners to refrain from receiving sacraments from such individuals and advised that any request for home-based services should be made directly through the parish office.[20]
In October 2023, ADF militants carried out deadly raids near the Congo border and in Queen Elizabeth National Park, killing at least five people, including two foreign tourists.[21]
In December 2023, Uganda witnessed a series of attacks attributed to Islamist militants. On December 19, at least ten people were massacred in Kyitehurizi village near Kibale National Park. Earlier that month, a woman was killed and her son abducted and later executed near Nkoko village. The violence escalated on Christmas Day, when three civilians were burned alive in Nyabitusi I village, Kamwenge District, underscoring the persistent threat posed by the Allied Democratic Forces in the region.[22]
On 18 December 2023, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published its declaration Fiducia Supplicans, giving permission for Catholic priests to give “non-ritualised” blessings to same-sex couples, though not “in concurrence with the ceremonies of a civil union”.[23] When questioned by the press on 21 December, the Catholic Archbishop of Kampala, Paul Ssemogerere stated: “I have not had any official communication from His Holiness the Pope or the Vatican [concerning] the placing of same-sex marriage.”[24]
On 11 January 2024, the Catholic Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) said that they did not “consider it appropriate for Africa to bless homosexual unions or same-sex couples” as this “would confuse and would be in direct contradiction to the cultural ethos of African communities”.[25]
In January 2024, Pastor Weere Musika, his wife and two young daughters were burned to death by an Islamic group which had threatened the family because the pastor converted three Muslims to Christianity. In another village in Bugiri district, a mother of three was beaten and doused with battery acid by her Muslim husband after she admitted to becoming a Christian.[26]
In April 2024, Uganda’s Constitutional Court upheld the Anti-Homosexuality Act, ruling that it did not violate the right to non-discrimination or freedom of expression.[27]
In June 2024, Fr Anthony Musuubire from the Archdiocese of Kampala announced that the Catholic Church planned to build its own Ugandan Martyrs museum to complement the existing one, which is run by the Anglian Church.[28] On 3 June 2024, nearly four million pilgrims gathered at the Uganda Martyrs’ Catholic Shrine in Namugongo, about 20 km from Kampala, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the canonisation of 22 Catholic and 23 Anglican martyrs killed on the orders of King Mwanga II between 1885 and 1887.[29] The martyrs died after refusing both to renounce their faith and to participate in homosexual activity with the king.[30] About 700 pilgrims from Nebbi, including Mgr Raphael Wokorach, the Archbishop Elect of Gulu, walked nearly 500 km to attend. The ceremony, led by 20 bishops, condemned practices such as polygamy, witchcraft and female genital mutilation. Delegates from across Africa and beyond participated, along with President Yoweri Museveni.[31]
In October 2024, a Christian was killed by Muslim youths in the East of the country after he held an evangelistic meeting where 18 Muslims became Christians.[32]
In October 2024, the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) voiced concerns regarding the underrepresentation of Muslims in national statistics and governance structures. According to the 2024 census, the Muslim population was approximately six million. The Mufti of Uganda, Sheikh Shaban Ramadhan Mubaje, publicly rejected the official numbers, asserting that the actual Muslim population was closer to 12 million. He suggested that there could have been an attempt to deny resources to Muslims by depicting them as a shrinking minority. The mufti announced plans to conduct a nationwide Muslim-led census to rectify perceived statistical inaccuracies and to advocate for more equitable distribution of public resources.[33]
In parallel, the UMSC renewed its call for the swift enactment of the Administration of Muslim Personal Law Bill, which would establish Kadhi courts to adjudicate matters related to marriage, inheritance and child custody in accordance with Islamic principles. The council stressed that the bill was in line with Article 129 (1,d) of the constitution.[34]
On the night of 7 November 2024, an unknown intruder set fire to the historic Mapeera Kigungu Catholic Church, built at the site of Uganda’s first Catholic missionaries’ arrival in 1879. Entering through a rear window, the arsonist burned part of the presbytery, destroying vestments, chalices and other sacred items worth over 10 million Ugandan shillings. Timely intervention by believers prevented further damage. Authorities are investigating, with indications that the attack may be linked to an ongoing land dispute involving church property.[35]
In December 2024, President Museveni announced that, analogous to the way in which the National Bureau of Standards controlled the quality of industrial products, the government would begin validating religious miracles, explaining that there was a need to balance religious freedom with protecting public health. The government, he said, would also be looking into the trade in holy water. “If you’re healed, that’s no problem,” he said. “But if you’re selling the water, that’s a business. We are going to study that water.”[36]
Prospects for freedom of religion
While the constitution guarantees freedom of religion and belief, the overall outlook for this right remains ambivalent. On one hand, the country has long been recognised for its generally peaceful interreligious coexistence and its inclusive refugee policy, which allows displaced persons of all faiths to practise their religion freely. On the other, recent developments have raised concerns among religious leaders and observers. The proposal to subject religious and faith-based organisations (RFOs) to executive oversight under the Office of the President, rather than through parliamentary legislation, signals a potential shift towards tighter governmental control over religious activity.
At the same time, Uganda continues to face security threats from Islamist extremist actors, most notably the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), affiliated with the Islamic State and operating across the border in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Deadly attacks attributed to the ADF, combined with ongoing cases of targeted violence against Christians, have further contributed to a climate of uncertainty. In this context, while religious practice remains broadly permitted, the convergence of security concerns and increased administrative regulation points to a more fragile and potentially restricted environment for religious freedom in the coming years. Vigilant monitoring of both legal reforms and on-the-ground incidents will therefore be essential to assess future trajectories.
Sources
Uganda