Assessment of the legal and institutional framework for implementing the polluter pays principle in addressing industrial pollution in Uganda

Abstract

This research dissertation examines the legal and institutional framework governing implementation of the Polluter Pays Principle (PPP) in Uganda. Drawing on the Constitution of Uganda, the National Environment Act Cap 181 sector-specific statutes, subsidiary legislation, international treaty obligations, and judicial decisions, it assesses the extent to which Uganda’s framework translates the PPP from legal prescription into enforcement reality. The research finds that Uganda formally recognises the PPP but that the institutional framework is fragmented and under-resourced, enforcement practice is chronically weak, financial penalties are insufficient to deter large industrial polluters, and governance failures including political interference systematically undermine implementation. Civil society litigation has partially compensated for institutional deficits but cannot substitute for systematic regulatory enforcement. Targeted legislative, institutional, enforcement, regulatory and accountability recommendations are advanced.