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Recognition of religion or belief in Uganda

According to the standards set out in the SRR, conditions for RoRB in the Republic of Uganda are classified restrictive.

Recognition of religion or belief in Uganda

Overview:


  • Recognition and registration are to some degree differentiated but not entirely; a form of indirect existential recognition is provided to four Christian denomination and one Islamic council by the fact that they need not obtain operating licences; legal registration is offered to all other groups but its meaning remain ambiguous.

  • The lack of distinction between religious entity registration and secular entity registration is an issue as it is advised that these two forms of registration remain distinguished.

  • Furthermore, the requirement to gain approval from two separate government departments is restrictive, particularly concerning is the need for groups to gain a five-year operating license; the fact that some religious groups deemed “traditional” or “established” are not mandated to obtain operating licence demonstrates the existence of discrimination and inequality within the present recognition system and creates a situation of partial recognition.

  • The rule of mandatory registration violates the Bielefeldt provision.


Positive elements:


  • Freedom of religion or belief is generally, though not broadly, upheld in practice by the government.


Recommendations:


  • Revoke mandatory registration and resolve the various internal issues of the recognition system.

  • Establish a revitalised recognition system that provides both existential and legal registration to all belief systems and their derivatives; this should also resolve the issue of there being a lack of distinction between religious and secular entity registration.

RoRB Topic
RoRB Compliance
RoRB Classification
Title
Country or territory
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