No recent amendments or guidelines relating to competition legislation have been proposed or enacted. This is because of the absence of substantive domestic competition legislation in Uganda, as well as a dedicated regulatory body or authority to enforce competition law. However, in 2016, the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Cooperatives developed a national competition and consumer protection policy. The policy is cognisant of the country’s vision 2040, National Development Plan, National Trade Policy, and other sectoral policies and strategies aimed at minimising market distortions and promotion of sustainable development. Furthermore, the policy commits the government to implement obligations and commitments of the East African Community (“EAC”), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (“COMESA”) and the World Trade Organisation on consumer protection and competition.
Despite the absence of a substantive competition authority, a number of sector bodies have been active in relation to competition regulation. By way of illustration, the Uganda Communication (Competition) Regulations SI No. 93 of 2019 have been enacted under the auspices of the Uganda Communication Commission.
Additionally, there are also draft competition regulations, developed by the Civil Aviation Authority, which will apply to the Aviation sector. These regulations are undergoing stakeholder consultations.
Local counsel are not aware of market inquiries or any plans by authorities in Uganda to initiate market enquiries in relation to any specific sector or industry in Uganda.
As noted above, there is no competition authority in place in Uganda.
There is no competition authority in place in Uganda and, therefore, no strategic or key sectors have been identified for purposes of competition law enforcement.
Owing to the absence of a competition authority in Uganda, local counsel are not in a position to assess the risk associated with dawn raids.
There are no uniform measures that have been passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the absence of a competition authority in Uganda.
As noted above, there is no competition authority in Uganda and as such, there is no collective action that has been taken against any entity for infringing competition legislation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The control over pricing practices has, so far, been provided for under sector specific legislation due to the absence of a competition authority. By way of example, the coffee sector is regulated by the National Coffee Act, 2021, which establishes the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, which is mandated to issue indicative prices at which coffee may be traded. Further, the Uganda Communications Commission, in the communications services space is tasked with ensuring accessibility and fair pricing of the services in the market.
There are no new measures from a competition perspective that are applicable to firms that are active in the digital market space.