The Public -Private Partnership, PPP, bill seeks to among other things address the fact that Uganda does not have a ‘distinct piece of legislation governing public private partnerships.’

In its provisions, the bill defines the Management, Processes, and Procurement rules of Public Private Partnerships. It further provides for an offense to any person who interferes with the work of an official of a contacting party. Such persons are on conviction liable to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty currency points or improvement not exceeding five years or both.

In a nutshell, the PPP Act 2012 is: ‘An Act to provide for public private partnership agreements; to provide for the functions of contracting authorities, accounting officers, project officers, project teams and evaluation committees; to provide for the role of the private party in a public private partnership; to provide for project inception and feasibility studies for public private partnerships; to provide for the procurement of public private partnerships; to provide for the disqualification of bidders and the evaluation of public private partnership bids; to provide for public private partnership agreements and the monitoring of projects; to provide for the bidding methods, procurement procedures and types of public private partnership agreements and for related matters.’

This bill was passed by Parliament on 18^th July 2014. H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni rejected it on grounds that it was wrong to subject all public-private partnerships to Parliamentary approval.

In relation to Makerere University this bill is to guide the ongoing efforts to partner with the private sector in advancing the University’s networking and research agenda. The bill has to return to Parliament for amendments.

Attached is a copy of the Bill and other relevant information.

Compiled by Marion Alina