Contraception
Free at government facilities, with village health teams distributing condoms and pills while unmet need among adolescents stays high.
Contraception is free in government facilities, with village health teams distributing condoms and pills. National strategies prioritise reducing unmet need among adolescents, which remains high.
Key points
| Village Health Teams | Distribute pills, condoms and injectables at community level |
|---|---|
| Self-injection | Approved and scaled up for the subcutaneous injectable |
In practice
- Ask a Village Health Team member for supplies if the facility is far.
- Request self-injection training at the first visit, then you only return annually.
Worth knowing
There is no legal spousal consent requirement. Where a facility insists, ask to speak to the in-charge and refer to the national guidelines.
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Abortion
The Constitution allows abortion as authorised by law, the Penal Code permits it to save the woman's life, and post-abortion care remains owed to all.
The Constitution prohibits abortion except as authorised by law, and the Penal Code permits it to save the life of the pregnant woman. National standards and guidelines on post-abortion care exist, though guidance on the scope of the exception has been contested. Post-abortion care is included in national reproductive health standards and should be provided without police involvement.
Key points
| Maputo Protocol | Ratified in 2010, with reservations to article 14(1)(a) and to article 14(2)(c); that article obliges States to authorise medical abortion after sexual assault, rape or incest, and when continuing the pregnancy threatens the mental or physical health of the mother, or the life of the mother or the foetus |
|---|---|
| Constitution | Article 22(2) permits it as authorised by law, but no implementing statute was ever passed |
| Penal Code | Retains broad prohibitions, creating legal uncertainty |
| Case law | Courts have recognised that saving the life of the woman is lawful |
| Guidelines | National standards have been issued and withdrawn more than once |
In practice
- Seek care at a public facility for complications; treatment is required and is not conditional on questioning.
- Contraception, including emergency contraception, is available free at public facilities.
Worth knowing
The gap between the constitutional permission and the absence of implementing law leaves providers exposed, which makes them cautious even where care would be lawful.
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Parents: a teenager’s first relationship
Uganda provides contraception free in the public health system and has established youth corners in many health centres. What has fluctuated is policy on adolescents still in school, where guidance on sexuality education has been restrictive and periodically withdrawn. Teenage pregnancy rates are high, and the practical consequence is that many young people rely on pharmacies and non-governmental providers rather than on public facilities.
Frequently asked questions
Is contraception free in Uganda?
In public health facilities, yes, including for young people. Availability of particular methods varies with stock. Pharmacies sell condoms and emergency contraception cheaply, which is the route many young people prefer for reasons of privacy.
What about sexuality education in schools?
It has been contested: national guidance has been issued, withdrawn and revised, which leaves schools uncertain about what they may teach. In practice the quality of information a young person receives depends heavily on the individual school.
The general article: Parents: a teenager’s first relationship · Compare with another country
Sexual orientation
The Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 provides for life imprisonment for same-sex acts and a capital penalty for what it terms aggravated homosexuality, and it criminalises promotion. The Constitutional Court upheld most of the Act in 2024 while striking down a small number of provisions. Arrests, evictions and violence have followed, and organisations face registration and funding obstacles.
The Anti-Homosexuality Act of 2023 is among the most severe laws of its kind anywhere: it creates an offence of aggravated homosexuality carrying the death penalty in defined circumstances, criminalises the promotion of homosexuality, and imposes duties to report. The Constitutional Court largely upheld it in April 2024, striking down only limited provisions, and an appeal to the Supreme Court followed. International funding responses followed the Act's passage.
Key points
| Criminal law | Life imprisonment, with a capital penalty for aggravated cases; promotion criminalised |
|---|
Frequently asked questions
What did the Constitutional Court decide?
In April 2024 it upheld the bulk of the Act, declining to annul it, while striking down a small number of provisions including some relating to the duty to report and to premises. An appeal to the Supreme Court was filed. The Act remains in force.
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Drugs and controlled substances
A 2016 Act governs possession and trafficking, with treatment available chiefly in the main cities.
The 2016 Act, re-enacted in 2023 after a constitutional challenge over quorum, punishes possession and trafficking with heavy fines and long terms, and provides for treatment orders. Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital is the main treatment site.
Key points
| Main statute | The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act 2016 |
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Where to go
- Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital, Kampala
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Alcohol and tobacco
One of Africa's strictest tobacco laws — e-cigarettes and shisha are banned outright — alongside an informal alcohol market.
Uganda's Tobacco Control Act of 2015 is one of the most comprehensive in Africa, banning smoking in public places and prohibiting industry interference in policy.
Uganda's Tobacco Control Act of 2015 is among the strictest on the continent: it bans the sale of e-cigarettes and shisha outright, prohibits smoking within fifty metres of a public place, forbids single-stick sales and bars the industry from any form of sponsorship. The Constitutional Court upheld it against an industry challenge. Alcohol policy is far weaker, dominated by informal waragi and sachet spirits.
Recent changes
The Constitutional Court upheld the Tobacco Control Act against an industry challenge, confirming the bans on e-cigarettes and shisha; enforcement against sachet spirits has tightened after repeated poisoning incidents.
Frequently asked questions
Are e-cigarettes and shisha legal in Uganda?
No. The 2015 Act prohibits the sale, import and distribution of both. Shisha in particular is actively enforced against in bars and restaurants. Travellers should not assume that a device carried for personal use will be treated leniently.
How far from a building must you stand to smoke?
Fifty metres from any public place under the Act — one of the widest buffers anywhere. In practice this makes smoking in urban centres difficult, which was the intention. Fines apply to smokers and to premises that permit it.
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