Uganda

National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy

XIV.    General social and economic objectives.

This is to ensure that the State makes effort to fulfill the rights of Ugandans to social justice and economic development for the maximum social and cultural well being of the people and their enjoyment of rights, opportunities and access to social and economic benefits such as education, health services, clean and safe water, work, decent shelter, adequate clothing, food security and pension and retirement benefits.

XX.     Medical services.
This is to ensure that the State takes all practical measures for the provision of basic medical services to the people.

XXI.   Clean and safe water.

This is to ensure that the State takes all practical measures to promote good water use at all levels.

XXII.     Food security and nutrition.

This is to ensure that the State takes steps to encourage people to grow and store adequate food, establish national food reserves, and promote proper nutrition through education and other means, in order to build a healthy state.

The Constitution

21. Equality and freedom from discrimination.

(1) All persons are equal before and under the law in all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life and in every other respect and shall enjoy equal protection of the law.

22. Protection of right to life.

(1) No person shall be deprived of life intentionally except in execution of a sentence passed in a fair trial by a court of competent jurisdiction in respect of a criminal offence under the laws of Uganda and the conviction and sentence have been confirmed by the highest appellate court.

(2) No person has the right to terminate the life of an unborn child except as may be authorised by law.

23. Protection of personal liberty.

(1) No person shall be deprived of personal liberty except in any of the following cases—

(d) for the purpose of preventing the spread of an infectious or contagious disease;

(e) in the case of a person who has not attained the age of eighteen years, for the purpose of the education or welfare of that person;

24. Respect for human dignity and protection from inhuman treatment.

No person shall be subjected to any form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

27. Right to privacy of person, home and other property.

(2) No person shall be subjected to interference with the privacy of that person’s home, correspondence, communication or other property.

30. Right to education.

All persons have a right to education.

31. Rights of the family.

(1) Men and women of the age of eighteen years and above have the right to marry and to found a family and are entitled to equal rights in marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

33. Rights of women.

(1) Women shall be accorded full and equal dignity of the person with men.

34. Rights of children.

(1) Subject to laws enacted in their best interests, children shall have the right to know and be cared for by their parents or those entitled by law to bring them up.

(2) A child is entitled to basic education which shall be the responsibility of the State and the parents of the child.

(3) No child shall be deprived by any person of medical treatment, education or any other social or economic benefit by reason of religious or other beliefs.

(4) Children are entitled to be protected from social or economic exploitation and shall not be employed in or required to perform work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with their education or to be harmful to their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.

(5) For the purposes of clause (4) of this article, children shall be persons under the age of sixteen years.

(6) A child offender who is kept in lawful custody or detention shall be kept separately from adult offenders.

(7) The law shall accord special protection to orphans and other vulnerable children.

35. Rights of persons with disabilities.

(1) Persons with disabilities have a right to respect and human dignity, and the State and society shall take appropriate measures to ensure that they realise their full mental and physical potential.

(2) Parliament shall enact laws appropriate for the protection of persons with disabilities.

36. Protection of rights of minorities.

Minorities have a right to participate in decision-making processes, and their views and interests shall be taken into account in the making of national plans and programmes.

37. Right to culture and similar rights.

Every person has a right as applicable to belong to, enjoy, practise, profess, maintain and promote any culture, cultural institution, language, tradition, creed or religion in community with others.

39. Right to a clean and healthy environment.

Every Ugandan has a right to a clean and healthy environment.

40. Economic rights.

(1) Parliament shall enact laws—

(a) to provide for the right of persons to work under satisfactory, safe and healthy conditions;

(b) to ensure equal payment for equal work without discrimination; and

(c) to ensure that every worker is accorded rest and reasonable working hours and periods of holidays with pay, as well as remuneration for public holidays.

(2) Every person in Uganda has the right to practise his or her profession and to carry on any lawful occupation, trade or business.