Uganda, March 17 -- On March 12, 2024, Uganda's Court of Appeal, through a judgment authored by Lady Justice Catherine Bamugemereire with two other justices in concurrence, ruled on the appeal I and my colleagues lodged challenging the judgment of the High Court. The case challenging the powers of the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB) Registrar, who refused to reserve the name Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) and register our umbrella organization.

The registrar purportedly rejected our registration on the basis that our name was against public interest and Ugandan values. That the name was undesirable. The High Court agreed with URSB that the registrar was within their powers under section 36 of the Companies Act to reject our n...