Examining the Effectiveness of the Legal Framework Governing Workers' Compensation in Uganda

Workers' compensation should convert an employment-related injury into an enforceable entitlement to treatment, income protection and appropriate support for dependants. This article examines whether Uganda's legal framework achieves that purpose. It adopts a doctrinal and documentary research design, analysing the Workers Compensation Act, Cap 233, related legislation, selected Ugandan judgments and official institutional publications available by 2 November 2026. Effectiveness is assessed through coverage, substantive entitlement, access to assessment and adjudication, financial security, benefit adequacy and accountability. The analysis finds that the legislation provides significant safeguards: liability without proof of employer negligence, a rebuttable employment-causation presumption, medical aid, compulsory insurance, protection against contracting out and liability within contracting arrangements. Judicial decisions nevertheless reveal procedural vulnerabilities concerning the correct forum, joined causes of action and medical assessment. Published oversight material supplies additional evidence of weaknesses in the preventive enforcement environment, although it does not establish national compensationpayment or claim-success rates. The article argues that legal recognition and practical realisation must be assessed separately. It recommends clear first-contact referral guidance, accessible medical assessment, verifiable insurance, traceable payment records, regular benefit review and stronger rehabilitation arrangements. Uganda's framework is substantively protective but its effectiveness remains conditional on a worker's ability to navigate institutions and obtain actual payment. The contribution is an integrated legal assessment and an implementable reform framework, rather than a new survey of injured workers.