Consumer Protection in Uganda's Buy Now, Pay Later Market: Adequacy of the Legal Framework for Credit Disclosure and Debt Collection

Buy now, pay later arrangements enable consumers to obtain goods before completing payment, but the legal protection available in Uganda depends on the identity of the creditor and the structure of the transaction. This article examines the adequacy of the framework governing credit disclosure and debt collection across merchant instalments, third party purchase credit, hire purchase and digitally administered asset finance. It adopts a doctrinal method, analysing Ugandan legislation, judicial decisions, regulatory materials and selected comparative authorities. The findings show that Uganda has substantial protections against misleading contracting, excessive interest, improper recovery and misuse of personal data. However, those protections are dispersed across regimes whose coverage and remedies are not identical. Electronic transaction rules provide important information and cancellation rights, while financial service exceptions require careful interpretation. Hire purchase protections depend on the transaction meeting the statutory definition, and lending standards cannot automatically be extended to every merchant offering instalments. The transfer of UMRA's functions into the Ministry of Finance further makes institutional clarity essential. Relevant cases establish principles for reviewing oppressive charges, proving collection expenses and observing proper procedures, but do not amount to a complete body of BNPL specific jurisprudence. The article recommends a common minimum disclosure standard, explicit linked refund procedures, proportionate collection rules, stronger oversight of agents and a coordinated complaints mechanism. Uganda's framework is therefore protective in important respects but insufficiently integrated to provide predictable protection throughout the BNPL transaction.