Kampala, Uganda: Parliament has initiated plans to introduce a new legislation to restore professionalism and discipline in Uganda’s human resource (HR) sector, with proposals introducing heavy penalties against unqualified and unlicensed HR officers.
The Human Resource Management Professionals Bill, 2025, tabled by Workers’ MP Hon. Margaret Rwabushaija, seeks to regulate the HR profession through a formal system of registration, licensing, and disciplinary enforcement.
If enacted, any person practicing HR without a valid practicing certificate will face a fine of up to Shs10 million or imprisonment for six months, while those forging documents or impersonating registered professionals will incur penalties of up to Shs20 million or two years in jail.
“Last week, we lost a mother because she went to a fake doctor. Even in HR, we have fake practitioners who have no clue about managing people. This Bill will save organizations from such quacks,” said Hon. Rwabushaija.
She made the remarks during a joint meeting on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, involving Minister of State for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations Hon. Esther Anyakun, and MPs from the Committees on Gender, Labour and Social Development, and Public Service and Local Government.
Key Provisions and Reactions
The Bill stipulates that all practicing certificates will expire on December 31 each year, with renewal required at least two months before expiry, a clause that some MPs said may inconvenience professionals.
“The two-month renewal period could limit many individuals. We must consider what happens if one fails to renew in time,” noted Hon. Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, Chairperson of the Public Service and Local Government Committee.
Wakiso District Woman MP Hon. Ethel Naluyima welcomed the Bill but questioned whether it adequately covers HR personnel in small enterprises and the informal sector. “Many small firms rely on diploma holders managing dozens of workers. What happens if this Bill limits practice to degree holders?” Naluyima asked.
In response, Minister Anyakun defended the Bill’s tough provisions, arguing that renewal timelines and minimum qualification standards are critical to maintaining professional credibility. “For you to be called a professional HR person, there must be a practical limit. This Bill inspires young people to aim higher, just like in medicine or law,” she said.
Establishment of HR Management Society
The proposed legislation also provides for the creation of the Human Resource Management Professionals Society, which will license practitioners, enforce ethical standards, and protect HR professionals from employer victimization.
The society will serve as the primary regulatory body for the HR profession, responsible for issuing practicing certificates, conducting disciplinary hearings, and maintaining a national registry of certified HR professionals.
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