CO-Opposing restrictive civil society Oxfam in Uganda and Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG) seek to implement a project about opposing restrictive civil societyregulations and promoting positive narratives of the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and civil society in general, in Uganda.This project builds on previous work done by the two organizations on positive narratives and it will also extend to issues affecting the enjoyment of freedom of assembly, association and expression in Uganda.

CSOs derive their legitimacy from Article 38 of the 1995 Ugandan Constitution which states that ‘Every Uganda citizen has the right to participate in the affairs of government, individually or through his or representatives in accordance with the law. Every Ugandan has a right to participate in peaceful activities to influence the policies of government through civic organizations. However, 54 NGOs were suspended in 2021 by the National NGO Bureau and the Democratic Governance Facility (DGF), a EU-funded basket fund to support democratic governance programming, was suspended by government. Both actions could easily be interpreted as a repression against the NGOs sector in Uganda and an indicator of deteriorating civic space.


On 24th March 2022, the Attorney General, while appearingbefore Parliament’s human rights committee stated that NGOs are a threat to the stability of Uganda. The foregoing actions undermine the legitimacy of NGOs in providing avenues for citizens participation in their governance and protection of human rightsamidst shrinking civic space.

Security forces continue to undermine freedom of assembly and expression in Uganda, as evidenced by recent arrests of activists protesting rising costs of food, further restricting the operating environment for civil society. Attacks on human rights defenders, especially environmental rights defenders engaged in advocacy, are also increasing.

Despite these restrictions, civil society continues to push back against restrictions and find innovative ways of continuing theirwork. In response to closure of 54 CSOs, CCG filed litigation challenging the validity of the NGO Act (which governs the activities of the NGO Board). In May, a judge accepted the case, and will begin hearings in October.  Twitter spaces have also servedas a critical space for civil society to exchange ideas, share information, and engage withgovernment and elected officials. HRDs and environmental rights defenders are also seeking ways to elevate their stories.


Throughthis project, Oxfam in Ugandaand CCG will mobilize NGO Leaders to lead advocacy on changing the negative narratives about NGOs and push back against particular acts of government leaders using both dialogue and public engagements. This will be done through stakeholder meetings, investigative documentary, strategic litigation, Video messages, interviews, Civic Space TV engagements, twitter spaces and an investigative documentary. Project activities will use #CivicSpaceUG for public engagements.

#CivicSpaceUG project will widenthe scope of discussions around civic space through press conferences – with wide coverage of different media houses and participation of citizens from formal and informal sector, CSO leaders and Members of Parliament on matters arising.

Civic Space TV engagements will be held, with a focus on Positive Narratives of NGOs and Civic Space current affairs. These engagements will be uploadedon Civic Space TV and shared on different social media platforms. Civic Space TV engagements will include video uploads of interviews and journals and quotable quotes from different panelists and an investigative documentary about state of civic space in Uganda