In democratic pluralist and secular societies, freedom of religion is a fundamental right to be enjoyed by all individuals. The most unique feature of this human right is the extent to which it is premised on personal belief. For the most part in Uganda, under the 1995 constitution, different faiths have been permitted to express their beliefs freely. Over time, sporadic incidents occurred where congregations have fallen prey to the malevolent practices on the part of their pastors or ministers. The wide- spread media coverage of these events culminated in the government attempting to draft a Faith Based Organisations Bill 2017 to rein in and regulate the faith-based organisations. This is the latest in the long line of attempts by the government through its directorate of ethics and integrity to formulate “sweeping changes” for the registration and regulation of religious organisations. The regulation envisaged by the state involves the controlling of the activities or processes of religious organisations by means of rules. The legal concept of regulation intuitively connotes government interference or intervention in liberty and choices in the private domain while control, on the other hand, means to take charge. Regulation involves aspects such as the governing procedure […]
