Here’s what you should be aware of:
The legislation mandates that every sports organization must reregister, with the minister establishing June 20, 2025, as the deadline for this requirement.
National sports bodies and federations might require over three months to become eligible for registration under the National Sports Act of 2023.
The legislation came into effect in September 2023, yet its rollout was postponed until the sports minister approved the Statutory Instruments on March 14, 2025.
The legislation mandates that all athletic organizations must reregister, with the minister establishing June 20, 2025, as the deadline for this requirement.
On last Friday, the National Council of Sports (NCS) alerted all national organizations to unincorporate their trusts prior to seeking registration under the recently enacted legislation.
"Kindly be informed that every federation and association needs to strictly comply with all legal prerequisites for registration according to the new Act and its accompanying Regulations without any exceptions," stated Bernard Patrick Ogwel, the general secretary of NCS, in his letter dated April 11. This statement hit the federations and associations severely as very few were prepared to adhere to these stringent criteria.
A key criterion for this requirement is that an organization must "demonstrate a nationwide presence through active involvement from Ugandans in at least half of the country’s districts," equating to 73 out of the total 146 districts. In contrast, for federations, the threshold rises to engagement in 75 percent of these areas, translating to participation in 109 districts across Uganda.
"That's nearly unachievable for the majority of our sporting organizations," stated Robert Jjagwe, who is stepping down as the president of the Uganda Table Tennis Association.
The legislation mandates that federations and associations establish clubs in every district, but this has not happened yet. Additionally, it comes at considerable cost. The government ought to have allocated funding for such initiatives. Without financial support, many federations will find it challenging to fulfill these requirements.
The Public Finance Management Act of 2015 mandates that "Each bill presented to Parliament must be accompanied by a financial implications certificate provided by the Minister."
The document provides an estimation of income and expenses for at least two years following the enactment of the legislation, along with its effects on the economy.
We must examine the certification to determine if the government allocated any resources for that substantial expansion required by the law.
A federation leader, requesting confidentiality to maintain good ties with the NCS and the sports ministry, stated that the registration criteria and deadlines are extremely impractical. "The cost of registration is prohibitively high for these sports which fail to draw significant sponsorships," he noted. "Furthermore, although we've attempted to establish clubs beyond Kampala, doing so across numerous districts proves to be quite costly."
Moses Dungu, who leads the Uganda Skating Federation, echoes these worries.
A typical skatepark has a price tag of $100,000. However, we lack even the equivalent of Shs20 million needed to set up simpler models similar to the one in Mukono across 73 districts.
And sports such as ours, which include numerous children, find it difficult to secure sponsorships. Therefore, how do you anticipate us meeting all these requirements within just three months? It would take roughly two years for us. Nonetheless, we will do our best and await further opportunities.
The week before last, representatives from various sporting organizations met with the NCS general secretary and asked for an extension of the registration deadline through the sports minister.
But Mr. Ogwel's letter caught us off guard," the unnamed president expressed with frustration. "In any case, we will have to wait and hope." He added, "Otherwise, perhaps only 10 out of the 50 organizations might be able to register.
Despite activities taking place in numerous traditional schools nationwide, UTA Chairman Mathias Nalyanja isn’t overly concerned with the 50 percent attendance rate.
However, the legislation mandates that national sporting organizations must adjust their charters to comply with the Act and select their leadership through elections conducted during an annual general meeting attended by representatives from a minimum of 50 percent of Uganda’s districts.
We are attempting to comply since the law went into effect in September 2023," explained Nalyanya, who is also a legal professional. "However, Section 7 of the Act, detailing the registration processes, wasn’t activated until March 14. Consequently, with the deadline set for June 20, we have very limited time left, making it challenging for most of us to fulfill all the necessary criteria.
“As we strive to adhere, we await the minister's reply to our plea for additional time.”
However, a person familiar with NCS statements indicated that Ogwel maintained there would be no extensions. "It’s crucial that we begin preparing for the involvement of the 50 federations or associations at the earliest," Ogwel was quoted as saying.
In the meantime, Jjagwe comes up with an idea. "It would have been better if we had penned a letter to NCS and the ministry pointing out the discrepancies within the Act."
I am not in favor of limiting ourselves to a sympathetic appeal founded on someone's wishes. If this approach isn't supported by legal standing or practical feasibility, it could potentially lead to negative consequences if an individual decides to take action in court to revoke your driving privileges.
However, most of the federation and association leaders did not embrace the concept during the meeting with Ogwel. "Now they are contacting me, saying 'you were correct,'" Jjagwe stated.
KEY REQUIREMENTS
Association participation in half of the districts
Federation: involvement in 75 percent of districts
Both: adjust the constitution in accordance with the Act
-elected by the AGM with representatives from at least half of the districts
Deadline: June 20, 2025
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