Uganda's National Council of Sports Approves 10 Organisations for Registration

The National Council of Sports (NCS) in Uganda has approved 10 national sports organisations for registration under the National Sports Act, Cap. 151. This decision follows a nationwide verification exercise, compliance reviews, and petitions submitted against some applicant organisations. The NCS Board made these resolutions at a meeting held on November 10. The organisations approved include Uganda Rugby, Uganda Volleyball Federation, and Cricket Uganda, which qualified as national sports federations.

Other organisations approved as national sports associations are Uganda Woodball Federation, Uganda Aquatics, Uganda Handball Federation, Uganda Ludo Federation, Uganda Baseball and Softball Association, and Uganda Draughts Federation. The Council stated that the approved organisations would be issued Certificates of Registration in accordance with Section 13 of the National Sports Act. This registration exercise follows the commencement of Section 7 of the National Sports Act and the gazettement of the National Sports Regulations, 2025, on March 14, 2025.

According to the NCS, 45 of the 51 organisations previously recognised under the repealed law applied for registration by the June 20, 2025 deadline. The Council subsequently published the applications in the Uganda Gazette to allow public objections, conducted a desk review, and undertook a nationwide due-diligence exercise in June 2025. Following objections lodged against eight applicants, NCS identified compliance gaps and granted affected organisations additional time to address the concerns.

Organisations without objections initially received a five-month remedial period running from January 7 to June 7, 2026, while those affected by objections were given periods extending between July 27 and August 10, 2026. After the first remedial period, the NCS Board issued Certificates of Registration to 11 fully compliant organisations on July 17, 2026. Seven substantially compliant organisations were subjected to independent verification of their participation across Uganda's districts.

The NCS applied specific statutory requirements to assess the national spread of sports organisations. A national sports association must demonstrate participation in at least 73 of Uganda's 146 districts, while a national sports federation must demonstrate participation in at least 110 districts. Following physical and supplementary verification, Uganda Rugby qualified for registration as a national sports federation. Uganda Woodball Federation, Federation of Motorsport Clubs of Uganda, Uganda Golf Union, and Uganda Aquatics also met the national association threshold.

However, some organisations did not meet the requirements. Kabaddi Federation of Uganda and Uganda Squash Rackets Association did not attain the minimum participation requirements. The Council further examined the 14 organisations that had been granted the final remedial period. Ten addressed the previously identified compliance concerns and were found eligible for registration, although some qualified for association status rather than federation status.

The approved organisations will be issued Certificates of Registration. KEY_POINT: The National Council of Sports (NCS) has approved 10 national sports organisations for registration under the National Sports Act. KEY_POINT: The organisations approved include Uganda Rugby, Uganda Volleyball Federation, and Cricket Uganda. KEY_POINT: The registration exercise follows the commencement of Section 7 of the National Sports Act and the gazettement of the National Sports Regulations, 2025.