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Privacy and Data Protection in Uganda

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African Data Privacy Laws

Part of the book series: Law, Governance and Technology Series ((ISDP,volume 33))

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Abstract

This chapter deals with privacy and data protection in Uganda. The chapter provides a useful overview of the discourse and enactment of data protection law in Uganda. It offers a detailed and comprehensive overview of privacy law reforms in Uganda including the adoption of the European model of governance. Part I of the chapter gives a general introduction to privacy and data protection, Part II on the context of information privacy analyses a wide range of issues from the history, political, economic and technological advancements in Uganda. This is more so the cases since privacy issues are contextual. Part III provides a more detailed analysis of matters such as perception of privacy, the relevance of knowledge of privacy law by the public and the authorities and the issue of drafting. Part IV of the chapter critiques the Ugandan data privacy bill mainly based on the OECD data privacy framework. Lastly, the chapter gives concluding remarks and recommendations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The draft Bill used herein the text is that as published by the Office of First Parliamentary Counsel [FPC] on 19th February 2015.

  2. 2.

    Solove and Schwartz 2009, pp. 1–2.

  3. 3.

    Accessed at https://www.privacyinternational.org on October 17, 2015 at 1525 h.

  4. 4.

    Ibid.

  5. 5.

    Viljoen 2012, p. 154.

  6. 6.

    Mamdani and Survivors 2009.

  7. 7.

    A terrorist group, which later claimed to be the Al-Shabaab launched two deadly terrorist attacks on Kampala City on July 11, 2010 killing over 50 football fans who were watching the final of the 2010 World Cup.

  8. 8.

    Kelley 2015, p. 14.

  9. 9.

    Ibid.

  10. 10.

    Mamdani 2004.

  11. 11.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 5.

  12. 12.

    See generally, Mayambala 2009, p. 19.

  13. 13.

    Privacy International Report 2015, p. 37.

  14. 14.

    Serunjogi 2015, pp. 1, 4.

  15. 15.

    Wesonga and Kafeero 2015, p. 4, and Kiwawulo and Masaba 2015, p. 3.

  16. 16.

    See generally, The Observer, October 15–16, 2015.

  17. 17.

    Etukuri 2015, pp. 1, 4.

  18. 18.

    Ibid, p. 4.

  19. 19.

    Sunday Monitor, October 18, 2015, p. 3.

  20. 20.

    The Observer, October 19–21, 2015.

  21. 21.

    Privacy International Report, supra, note 13.

  22. 22.

    Hughes 2014, p. 267.

  23. 23.

    Ibid, p. 996.

  24. 24.

    Ibid, pp. 998–999.

  25. 25.

    See generally, Makubuya 1974.

  26. 26.

    See generally, Mayambala 2009.

  27. 27.

    Makubuya, supra.

  28. 28.

    Huripec 2014, p. 12.

  29. 29.

    Ibid, p. 21.

  30. 30.

    Ibid, p. 31.

  31. 31.

    Ibid, p. 39.

  32. 32.

    The Biblical Ten Commandments include thee shall not “kill or steal”.

  33. 33.

    See generally, Mamdani 1983.

  34. 34.

    Museveni 1997, p. 187.

  35. 35.

    Article 1 of the Constitution.

  36. 36.

    Niringiye 2014, p. 38.

  37. 37.

    Article 79.

  38. 38.

    Niringiye, supra, note 36.

  39. 39.

    See generally, Kabumba 2010, pp. 83–107.

  40. 40.

    Ibid, p. 84.

  41. 41.

    Oluka, supra, note 20.

  42. 42.

    Ibid, quoting the UK-based Organization.

  43. 43.

    Mayambala 2010, p. 5.

  44. 44.

    Daily Monitor, Thursday, November 20, 2014, p. 14.

  45. 45.

    See Article 43 of the Constitution.

  46. 46.

    Const. App. No. 1 of 2000 [unreported].

  47. 47.

    [1986] 1 S.C.R. 103.

  48. 48.

    See judgment of Mulenga J.S.C. in Obbo’s case.

  49. 49.

    See generally, Ojambo 2008.

  50. 50.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 6.

  51. 51.

    Cap. 13, LoU.

  52. 52.

    See also Article 132(4) of the Constitution.

  53. 53.

    Mayambala 2010, p. 6.

  54. 54.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 5.

  55. 55.

    Misc. Cause No. 247 of 2006, High Court of Uganda in Kampala, (2008) AHRLR 248 (UGHC 2008).

  56. 56.

    See H. Nsamba (2009), ‘Government to pay suspected lesbians sh13m,’ The New Vision.

  57. 57.

    Makulilo (2015), ‘Ugandan Privacy Bill: a cosmetic tokenism? Unpublished paper (on file with the author), p. 6.

  58. 58.

    Misc. Cause No. 163 of 2010, High Court of Uganda in Kampala (Unreported).

  59. 59.

    Constitutional Petition No. 08 of 2014.

  60. 60.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 6.

  61. 61.

    Misc. App. No. 81 of 2013 Arising out of Misc. Cause No. 219 of 2013 (the main suit is yet to be determined).

  62. 62.

    This claim by the applicants is misconceived since under Section 18 of the Computer Misuse Act, 2011, any person or organization who collects information or data from another person is required to use the information or data only for the purpose for which the data was collected and in case of need of any further use of the information or data, express permission must be sought from the person whom the information or data was got.

  63. 63.

    Solove and Schwartz 2009, pp. 997–998.

  64. 64.

    Clause 15 of the DPP Bill.

  65. 65.

    Ibid, Clause 16(3).

  66. 66.

    Ibid, Clause 3(1)(b)(c).

  67. 67.

    Ibid, Clause 5(1).

  68. 68.

    Ibid, Clause 14(1).

  69. 69.

    Ibid, Clause 3(1)(e).

  70. 70.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 8.

  71. 71.

    Ibid, p. 9.

  72. 72.

    See Section 5(c)(e) of the National Information Technology Authority, Uganda Act, Act No. 4 of 2009.

  73. 73.

    Clause 26 of the Bill.

  74. 74.

    Clause 20(4) of the Bill.

  75. 75.

    Clause 21(4) of the Bill.

  76. 76.

    Clause 22(1) of the Bill.

  77. 77.

    Clause 22(5) of the Bill.

  78. 78.

    Clause 23(1) of the Bill.

  79. 79.

    Clause 23(4) of the Bill.

  80. 80.

    Clause 24(1) of the Bill.

  81. 81.

    Clause 27 of the Bill.

  82. 82.

    Clause 28 of the Bill.

  83. 83.

    Clause 29(1) of the Bill.

  84. 84.

    Makulilo 2015, p. 8.

  85. 85.

    Ibid, p. 12.

  86. 86.

    Clause 33 of the Bill.

  87. 87.

    Clause 34 of the Bill.

  88. 88.

    Makulilo (2015), ‘Ugandan Privacy Bill: a cosmetic tokenism? Unpublished paper (on file with the author), p. 10–11.

  89. 89.

    Ibid.

  90. 90.

    Clause 22(1) of the Bill.

  91. 91.

    Clause 23(1) of the Bill.

  92. 92.

    Frank La Rue, ‘Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,’ Human Rights Council, 17th Session, Agenda Item 3, 2011, p. 16.

  93. 93.

    Ibid, para. 58.

  94. 94.

    Makulilo 2015, 1.

  95. 95.

    See generally Solove 2008.

  96. 96.

    See generally Foster 2011.

  97. 97.

    See general Dycus et al. 2007.

  98. 98.

    Nowak 2003, p. 346.

  99. 99.

    See generally Reidenberg 2000.

  100. 100.

    Under Article 3 of the EAC Treaty, the EAC has five (5) Partner States, i.e., the Republic of Uganda, the Republic of Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania. The Republics of Rwanda and Burundi have also since joined the Community.

  101. 101.

    Article 6(d) of the EAC Treaty.

  102. 102.

    Gastorn et al. 2011, p. 1.

  103. 103.

    Makulilo, supra, p. 5.

  104. 104.

    Frank La Rue, supra, p. 15, para. 56.

  105. 105.

    Bainbridge 2005, p. 61.

  106. 106.

    Reed 2007, p. 402.

  107. 107.

    Bainbridge 2008.

  108. 108.

    Bainbridge 2008, p. 498.

  109. 109.

    Charlesworth 2000.

  110. 110.

    See generally, Murphy (ed) 2009.

  111. 111.

    See generally, Goold 2007.

  112. 112.

    Goold and Neyland (eds) 2009.

  113. 113.

    Kobusingye 2010.

  114. 114.

    See generally Fox et al. 2006.

  115. 115.

    See generally Alfredsson and Eide (eds) 1999; Steiner et al 2007; Lillich et al. 2006.

  116. 116.

    Hicks 2005; Galison and Minow 2005; Roth 2005.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Makerere University School of Law, Kampala, Uganda

    Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala

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  1. Ronald Kakungulu-Mayambala
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  1. Faculty of Law, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Alex B. Makulilo

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Kakungulu-Mayambala, R. (2016). Privacy and Data Protection in Uganda. In: Makulilo, A. (eds) African Data Privacy Laws. Law, Governance and Technology Series(), vol 33. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47317-8_6

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