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Constitutional and Human Rights Issues Arising from Covid-19: Uganda’s Youth in Context

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Constitutional Resilience and the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Abstract

The announcement of a period of disaster under Uganda’s Public Health Act led to the adoption of various restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19. The country’s youth were significantly affected, given that more than 75 per cent of the population of approximately 45 million are under the age of 30 and burdened with unemployment, poverty and lack of education. This chapter evaluates the response to the pandemic by Uganda’s executive, Parliament and judiciary, and analyses its implications for constitutionalism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    United Nations ‘Country classification’ in World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report (2014), https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wesp/wesp_current/2014wesp_country_classification.pdf (accessed 8 June 2021).

  2. 2.

    World Bank in Uganda ‘Uganda: Overview’, https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/uganda/overview (accessed 8 June 2021).

  3. 3.

    Ibid.

  4. 4.

    PI Mukwaya, Y Bamutaze, S Mugarura & T Benson ‘Rural-urban transformation in Uganda’ (2012) 14(2) Journal of African Development 169–194.

  5. 5.

    ‘Uganda—Rural population’ Trading Economics, https://tradingeconomics.com/uganda/rural-population-percent-of-total-population-wb-data.html (accessed 8 June 2021).

  6. 6.

    ‘Uganda: Total population from 2009 to 2019, by gender’ Statista, https://bit.ly/3hfVidx (accessed 8 June 2021).

  7. 7.

    Ibid.

  8. 8.

    I Among & MM Munavu (2019) ‘“We want to be heard”: The voices of Uganda’s young people on youth unemployment’ https://blogs.worldbank.org/nasikiliza/we-want-to-be-heard-the-voices-of-ugandas-young-people-on-youth-unemployment (2 August 2021).

  9. 9.

    United Nations General Assembly ‘International Youth Year: Participation, development, peace—Report of the Secretary-General’ Doc/A/36/215 19 June 1981.

  10. 10.

    Commonwealth Youth Programme, https://thecommonwealth.org/youth (accessed 8 June 2021).

  11. 11.

    See Republic of Uganda national youth policy: A vision for the youth in the twenty-first century.

  12. 12.

    WHO ‘WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) dashboard’ (accessed 7 January 2021).

  13. 13.

    Ibid.

  14. 14.

    Ibid.

  15. 15.

    VM Kiberu, M Mars & RE Scott ‘Barriers and opportunities to implementation of sustainable e-Health programmes in Uganda: A literature review’ (2017) 9(1) African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine 10.

  16. 16.

    Westminster Foundation for Democracy ‘East African youth call for involvement in navigating the COVID-19 response’ (2020), https://bit.ly/2OK57UK (accessed 9 June 2021).

  17. 17.

    Ibid.

  18. 18.

    Ibid.

  19. 19.

    Save the Children ‘Ugandan youth speak out on the impact of Covid-19’ (15 May 2020), https://bit.ly/3jyt1Rw (accessed 9 June 2021).

  20. 20.

    Ibid.

  21. 21.

    P Bukuluki, et al. ‘The socio-economic and psychosocial impact of Covid-19 pandemic on urban refugees in Uganda’ (2020) Social Sciences & Humanities Open 2(1), 100045.

  22. 22.

    AK Duniya ‘Urban refugees face hunger in Uganda coronavirus lockdown’, https://bit.ly/39c9Vfl (accessed 7 January 2021).

  23. 23.

    Human Rights Watch ‘Human rights dimensions of COVID-19 response’ (2020), https://bit.ly/34MRRGn (accessed 1 April 2020).

  24. 24.

    Local Government Act of 1997.

  25. 25.

    S Makara Decentralisation and urban governance in Uganda (2009 University of Witwatersrand doctoral dissertation).

  26. 26.

    UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) CCPR General Comment No. 29: Article 4: Derogations during a state of emergency, 31 August 2001, CCPR/C/21/Rev.1/Add.11.

  27. 27.

    Ibid.

  28. 28.

    Republic of Uganda ‘COVID-19 response info hub’, https://covid19.gou.go.ug/timeline.html (accessed 6 June 2021).

  29. 29.

    Ibid.

  30. 30.

    Ibid.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    Ibid.

  33. 33.

    Ibid.

  34. 34.

    Republic of Uganda ‘COVID-19 coordination structure’, https://covid19.gou.go.ug/coordination.html (accessed 9 June 2021).

  35. 35.

    Ibid.

  36. 36.

    Ibid.

  37. 37.

    Ibid.

  38. 38.

    I Mugabi ‘COVID-19: Security forces in Africa brutalizing civilians under lockdown’ DW.com 20 April 2020, https://www.dw.com/en/covid-19-security-forces-in-africa-brutalizing-civilians-under-lockdown/a-53192163 (accessed 9 June 2021).

  39. 39.

    Human Rights Watch, ‘Uganda: Respect rights in COVID-19 response’, https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/02/uganda-respect-rights-covid-19-response (accessed 9 June 2020). See also S Sadeque, ‘Governments cautioned not to use COVID-19 lockdown to cause harm’ Inter Press Service News Agency April 2020, www.ipsnews.net/2020/04/governments-cautioned-not-use-covid-19-lockdown-cause-harm/ (accessed 9 June 2021).

  40. 40.

    K Wachira, W Maina & S Wagdy ‘Universities pull their academic weight in fight against COVID-19’ University World News 23 April 2020, https://bit.ly/3hkZuJa (accessed 9 June 2021).

  41. 41.

    Ministry of Health ‘Technical guidance’ Coronavirus (pandemic) Covid-19, https://www.health.go.ug/covid/technical-guidance/ (accessed 10 June 2021).

  42. 42.

    Parliament of the Republic of Uganda ‘The oversight role of Parliament during the Covid-19 pandemic’, https://bit.ly/3eIJdfn (accessed 10 June 2021).

  43. 43.

    Ibid.

  44. 44.

    Attorney General v Salvatori Abuki [1997] UGCC 10.

  45. 45.

    Duniya (n 22).

  46. 46.

    M Kansiime, et al. ‘COVID-19 implications on household income and food security in Kenya and Uganda: Findings from a rapid assessment’ (2021) 137(c) World Development.

  47. 47.

    T Lumunye ‘Access to Justice and COVID-19: Inmates on remand worst hit’ (2020), https://jlos.go.ug/index.php/com-rsform-manage-directory-submissions/services-and-information/press-and-media/latest-news/item/783-opinion-access-to-justice-and-covid-19-inmates-on-remand-worst-hit (accessed 2 August 2021).

  48. 48.

    Save the Children Uganda ‘Risks to children rise during the Covid-19 outbreak in Uganda’, https://uganda.savethechildren.net/news/risks-children-rise-during-covid-19-outbreak-uganda (accessed 10 June 2021).

  49. 49.

    Attorney General v Salvatori Abuki [1997] UGCC 10.

  50. 50.

    R Mujuni ‘Uganda: Workers, including in hospitality & manufacturing sectors, losing jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic’, https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/latest-news/uganda-workers-including-in-hospitality-manufacturing-sectors-losing-jobs-due-to-covid-19-pandemic/ (accessed 2 August 2021).

  51. 51.

    Bukuluki, et al. (n 21).

  52. 52.

    Ibid.

  53. 53.

    D Fanelli, F Cajuste, D Cetta & A Emmanuel ‘Effect of COVID-19 on the educational sector in Uganda’, https://bit.ly/3fjcIHJ (accessed 2 August 2021).

  54. 54.

    Bukuluki, et al. (n 21).

  55. 55.

    M Nabukeera ‘Prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV) during novel Covid-19 lock-down in Uganda’ (2020) 1 The Journal of Adult Protection 1–18.

  56. 56.

    B Rosalijn, C Sarah, H Bernadette ‘“I feel that things are out of my hands”: How COVID-19 prevention measures have affected young people’s sexual and reproductive health in Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Uganda and Zimbabwe’ (2020), https://bit.ly/3jix8Sc (accessed 2 August 2021).

  57. 57.

    Judiciary of Uganda Circular CJ/C-7 dated 19 March 2020 on administrative and contingency measures to prevent and mitigate the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) by the judiciary, http://judiciary.go.ug/files/downloads/Chief%20Justice%20Circular%20on%20COVID-19.pdf (accessed 22 April 2020).

  58. 58.

    ODPP Operating procedures for the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) during the Covid-19 lockdown (2020), https://www.jlos.go.ug/index.php/com-rsform-manage-directory-submissions/services-and-information/press-and-media/latest-news/item/746-covid-19-odpp-issues-operating-procedures-during-covid-19-lockdown (accessed 22 April 2020).

  59. 59.

    RD Nanima ‘A right to a fair trial in Uganda’s Judicature (Visual-Audio Link) Rules: Embracing the challenges in the era of Covid-19’ (2020) 46(3) Commonwealth Law Bulletin 391–414. Judiciary of Uganda Guidelines for online hearings in the Judiciary of Uganda, Office Instrument Number 2 of 2020, dated 29 April 2020 (2020).

  60. 60.

    A Okanya & F Kasule ‘COVID-19: Judiciary to handle only criminal cases’ (2020), https://bit.ly/2KrcNt7 (accessed 23 April 2020).

  61. 61.

    Ibid.

  62. 62.

    Judiciary of Uganda (n 60).

  63. 63.

    Nanima (n 59).

  64. 64.

    World Prison Brief ‘Uganda’, https://www.prisonstudies.org/country/uganda (accessed 10 June 2021).

  65. 65.

    B Galabba ‘Juveniles’ right to education: A case study of Kampiringisa National Rehabilitation Centre’ (2018) 56(1) African study monographs 111–125.

  66. 66.

    Soon Yeon kong kim and Another v Attorney General (Constitutional Reference No. 6 of 2007) [2008] UGCC 2 (6 March 2008), 4.

  67. 67.

    Republic of Uganda ‘Nateete and Buganda Road Courts’ interventions to curb COVID-19’ JLOS 2020, https://bit.ly/3cAtcYa (accessed 24 April 2020).

  68. 68.

    ‘Court orders MPs to return COVID-19 money’ The Independent 29 April 2020, https://www.independent.co.ug/court-orders-mps-to-return-covid-19-money-to-public-coffers/ (accessed 10 June 2021).

  69. 69.

    Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT) v Attorney General [2020] UGHCCD 157 (4 June 2020) 23.

  70. 70.

    Ibid, 24.

  71. 71.

    IHRDA v Cameroon, 2018.

  72. 72.

    Andrew Mujuni Mwenda v Attorney General Constitutional Petition No.12 of 2005 [2010] UGCC 5 (25 August 2010).

  73. 73.

    The Judicature (Visual-Audio Link) Rules, Statutory Instrument 26 of 2016.

  74. 74.

    African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) Guiding note on children’s rights during COVD-19 (8 April 2020).

  75. 75.

    Save the Children (n 19).

  76. 76.

    Save the Children Uganda ‘Risks to children rise during the Covid-19 outbreak in Uganda’, https://uganda.savethechildren.net/news/risks-children-rise-during-covid-19-outbreak-uganda (accessed 10 June 2021).

  77. 77.

    Human Rights Watch ‘Uganda: Authorities weaponize Covid-19 for repression’, https://bit.ly/3op3j3J (accessed 7 January 2021).

  78. 78.

    African Commission on Human and People’s Rights ‘Press statement on human rights based effective response to the novel COVID-19 virus in Africa’, https://www.achpr.org/pressrelease/detail?id=483 (accessed 9 June 2021).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Criminal Justice and Procedure, Faculty of Law, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

    Robert Doya Nanima

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  1. Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance, and Human Rights, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

    Ebenezer Durojaye

  2. Dullah Omar Institute for Constitutional Law, Governance, and Human Rights, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa

    Derek M. Powell

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Nanima, R.D. (2022). Constitutional and Human Rights Issues Arising from Covid-19: Uganda’s Youth in Context. In: Durojaye, E., Powell, D.M. (eds) Constitutional Resilience and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06401-2_9

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