Why MMAU was formed: a voice for custodians in the new Museums and Monuments Regulations

The Museums and Monuments Act, 2023 replaced the Historical Monuments Act and gave Government new powers over Uganda's museums, monuments and protected heritage. Under section 95 of the Act, the Minister may make regulations to put the law into practice, on the recommendation of the Department of Museums and Monuments.

On 5 February 2025 the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, through the Department of Museums and Monuments, convened a stakeholders’ workshop at Hotel Africana, Kampala, to review the draft regulations. Custodians who attended proposed many changes. The draft covers matters that directly affect the people and institutions who look after Uganda’s heritage, including the licensing of private and institutional museums, inspections, curatorial and collections standards, the appointment of guardians for museums, monuments and protected areas, excavation, dealers in protected objects, historical buildings and the compulsory acquisition of heritage property.

Many of the sites these rules will govern are owned, managed and funded by cultural institutions, religious bodies, families, communities and private custodians, often without state support. After the workshop, custodians agreed that they needed a single, organised voice to follow up their proposals and to engage Government while the regulations are finalised.

The Museums & Monuments Association of Uganda was formed for that purpose. Its Constitution commits MMAU to partnering with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in formulating the Rules and Regulations that operationalise the Act, so that they protect the sustainability and interests of custodians and of the sites declared under Statutory Instrument No. 69 of 2024.

Read the Museums and Monuments Act, 2023 (PDF) and the list of protected heritage resources (PDF).