Summary

The Arbitration and Conciliation Act (2000) applies to both domestic and international arbitrations and is not based on the UNCITRAL Model Law. Unlike in many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, arbitration agreements cannot be concluded electronically. Although the law allows parties to use the language of their choice, with the default language being English, in practice, arbitration proceedings always take place in English. Foreign lawyers cannot represent parties in arbitration proceedings, unless they appear jointly with qualified Ugandan lawyers. Arbitration awards are enforced in the Commercial Division of the High Court in Uganda, and appeals can be made to the Court of Appeal. The courts usually enforce domestic and international arbitration awards. On average, it takes around 26 weeks to enforce an arbitration award rendered in Uganda, from filing an application to a writ of execution attaching assets (assuming there is no appeal). It takes roughly 52 weeks to enforce a foreign award. If an appeal is made during this process, enforcement proceedings become extremely lengthy. Mediation is used frequently in Uganda to resolve disputes, and a special section has been added to the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (2000) to provide specifically for conciliation.