Movement Act

This section provides definitions of terms used in the Act.

The political system shall operate in accordance with this Act, subject to the Constitution.

The movement must have a national conference as its highest organ; the national conference is a corporate body that may sue or be sued; the national political commissar must receive court process and legal documents on behalf of the national conference; a list of other movement organs is provided.

Sets composition of the national conference; prescribes nomination and election method for chairperson and vice chairperson; allows removal by resolution of a majority on specified grounds; Electoral Commission must appoint returning officer; chair and vice have rights to appear and be represented at removal proceedings.

The national conference must initiate and shape national policy consensus, mobilise public participation, advise and review national policies and government programmes, promote unity, and make recommendations to the Executive and Parliament.

The chairperson must lead the movement, chair the national conference and national executive committee, convene and preside over their meetings, ensure implementation of movement policies, act as chief spokesperson, give guidance to organs, and take other necessary actions in consultation with the national executive committee; the vice chairperson must assist the chairperson.

Sets meeting rules for the national conference: ordinarily meets once every two years; may hold extraordinary meetings; meetings must be convened by the chairperson with at least thirty days’ notice (President convenes the first meeting); vice chairperson may call meetings in the chairperson's absence; specified presiding arrangements for elections and decisions.

At least one-quarter of national conference members may in writing request the chairperson or vice-chairperson to convene an extraordinary meeting; such meetings are to be presided over by the chairperson or vice-chairperson (with fallback election rules), the national political commissar acts as returning officer for the fallback election, and the movement bears members' expenses.

The national executive committee must perform the listed functions (initiate and deal with policy matters, manage day-to-day affairs, advise, and perform other functions directed by the national conference). The national political commissar shall be secretary to the national executive committee.

The national executive committee must meet at least once every four months; meetings are convened by the chairperson (or the vice chairperson if the chairperson is absent); decisions are taken by consensus or otherwise by majority; no member has a casting vote; the committee may set its own meeting procedures.

Specifies the composition of the national executive committee, states it is a standing committee of the national conference, and requires that where the President is not the chairperson that President is a member of the national executive committee.

Requires the movement to have a secretariat headed by the national political commissar and sets duties and appointment and removal procedures involving the chairperson, national executive committee and a medical board.

The national executive committee may pass a vote of censure against the national political commissar if a resolution supported by more than half the committee is passed; the chairperson must act on such a censure (unless the commissar resigns) and must give the commissar a copy of any initiating petition; the commissar is entitled to be heard during the debate.

Under the direction of the national political commissar, the secretariat must perform specified responsibilities for the national conference and the national executive committee, including giving effect to their decisions, mobilising the people, providing administrative and secretarial services, and carrying out other assigned functions.

Specifies the composition of the district movement committee and requires the committee chairperson to be nominated by at least one-quarter of its members and elected by the committee.

The district movement committee must be responsible to the national executive committee for policy matters of the movement with regard to the district.

A district movement committee must meet at least once in every four months.

Members of the city division council or municipal council must constitute the division or municipal movement committee; parish movement committee chairpersons must sit on the corresponding division or municipal committee; division or municipal movement committees are responsible to the district movement committee for policy matters in their area.

Division or municipal movement committees must meet at least once every four months; meetings are convened by the committee chairperson; each committee must have a secretary appointed by the chairperson from among its members with the committee's approval.

Every subcounty or town council must have a movement committee for that subcounty or town council.

Subcounty or town council movement committees must meet at least once every four months; the chairperson must convene meetings and appoint a secretary with the committee's approval.

Establishes parish movement committees, defines their membership and chair selection, and makes them responsible to the subcounty movement committee for parish policy matters.

Parish movement committees must meet at least once every three months; the chairperson convenes meetings; each committee must have a secretary appointed by the chairperson from among members with the committee's approval.

Creates village movement committees, defines their membership, assigns the village local council chairperson as committee chair, and makes the village committee responsible to the parish movement committee for movement policy matters affecting the village.

Village movement committees must meet at least monthly; the chairperson must convene meetings; each committee must have a secretary appointed by the chairperson with committee approval.

For any meeting, the quorum for the national conference, the national executive committee and any other organ under the movement is one-quarter of that organ's membership.

The national conference, the national executive committee and any other organ under the movement may act despite any vacancy in their membership.

Parliament may, by resolution, prescribe other democratic principles of the movement for the purposes of article 70(2)(b) of the Constitution.

The national executive committee may appoint standing and other committees to assist it in performing its functions under the Act.

Before assuming their office, the chairperson, vice chairperson or national political commissar must take and subscribe the oath of office in the Schedule; that oath is to be administered by the Chief Justice or a judge designated by the Chief Justice.

The funds of the movement include monies appropriated by Parliament and grants or donations given with the approval of the Minister responsible for finance.

The movement organs must keep proper books of account and records, and the accounts must be audited and reported on by the Auditor General in accordance with article 163 of the Constitution.

The national executive committee must determine the terms and conditions of service of members of the national conference, the national executive committee, other organs under the movement, and employees of the movement, subject to this Act.

All assets and property of organs under the movement are assets of the State.

Terms of national movement organs run for five years from the first meeting; institutions must elect their representatives within the last sixty days of that five-year period; persons cease membership at expiry but may be reelected; recall of a person under subsection (6) is barred except on listed grounds.

The national political commissar must annually prepare and submit to the national executive committee a budget for the organs under the movement.

The Minister responsible for the administration of this Act may, by statutory instrument, make regulations to implement the Act and related constitutional movement provisions, including carrying into effect democratic principles prescribed under section 28, regulating meetings of movement committees at multiple levels, and regulating the conduct of elections held for the Act's purposes.

The Act takes effect only when the movement political system is in force in Uganda.