Remote’s guide to employing in

Uganda
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Remote makes employment in Uganda easy. With our localized contracts, easy invoice management, and best-in-class compliance, you can grow your global team with confidence. Note that we can currently employ contractors in Uganda but our employer of record services are not yet live.

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  • Capital city

    Kampala

  • Currency

    Ugandan shilling (Sh, UGX)

  • Languages

    English and Swahili

  • Population size

    42,729,036

Services available in this country:
Contractor Management

Facts & Stats

Uganda Map Illustration
  • Capital city

    Kampala

  • Currency

    Ugandan shilling (Sh, UGX)

  • Languages

    English and Swahili

  • Population size

    42,729,036

  • Ease of doing business

    Medium

  • Cost of living index

    N/A

  • Payroll frequency

    Bi-monthly, monthly

  • VAT - standard rate

    18%

  • GDP - real growth rate

    2.9% (2020)

Uganda is famous for its cultural diversity, inredible wildlife, mineral wealth, and rich biodiversity. Uganda is a landlocked country in the East of Africa and it is home to the world’s largest primate population, 1,066 bird species, and massive wildlife reserves that draw over 1.25 million visitors to the pearl of Africa every year.

The country’s capital city of Kampala is a burgeoning African metropolis with an array of modern skyscrapers contrasting with areas of more traditional huts and high-density village life. The capital is a feast for the eyes with a chaotic mix of intense traffic and signs of both extreme wealth and generational poverty, which is broadly reflective of the country’s journey since gaining independence from the UK in 1962.

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world and this represents an opportunity and a challenge. A significant proportion of Ugandans from the ages of 18-30 are unemployed, but global companies can find a groundswell of qualified talent, many with experience working for multinational firms in the resources industry. There is also a strong entrepreneurial spirit developing in Uganda led by the highly ambitious younger generation.

Grow your team in Uganda with Remote

You can pay contractors now in Uganda with Remote in some currencies (talk to an expert now for full details).

Note that we are busy building our own entity in Uganda to provide you with the best possible employment solutions for your employees, but our employer of record service is not yet live in this country.

To employ in Uganda, companies must own a local legal entity in the country or work with a global employment solution. Developing the processes required to manage payroll, benefits, taxes, and onboarding in countries like Uganda can get complicated fast, especially without localized expertise.

If you're looking to start hiring in a country like this, partnering with a global employment solution like Remote makes it easy for your company to employ workers quickly, cost-effectively, and in full compliance with all local legislation.

In the countries where we do offer our EOR services, Remote takes on the responsibility and legal risks of international employment so you can focus on hiring great talent and growing your business.

Risks of misclassification

Uganda, like many other countries, treats self-employed individuals or contractors and full-time employees differently. Misclassification of contractors in Uganda may lead to fines and penalties for the offending company.

Employing in Uganda

Provisions for employee protections and workers’ rights are spelled out in Uganda’s 1995 Constitution and the Employmnet Act of 2006, both of which guarantee equal work for equal pay and protections against discrimination based on age, religion, gender expression, and race.

Common questions that could come up during the hiring process will likely cover topics like minimum wage, overtime rates, and guaranteed paid time off.

Remote can help you offer a complete, competitive, and compliant benefits package to your employees in Uganda.

Competitive benefits package in Uganda

At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity”, which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).

We are still busy building our own entity in Uganda, but our benefits packages for all countries are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:

  • Health Insurance

  • Dental Insurance

  • Vision Insurance

  • Mental Health Support

  • Pension or 401(K)

  • Life and Disability Insurance

Taxes in Uganda

Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in Uganda.

  • 10%

    Social security

Types of Leave

Workers who’re engaged for at least 16 hours per week are entitled to 21 workdays of paid leave every year, provided they’ve been employed for at least 12 years. Employees who meet these conditions can take seven days off for every four months of continuous employment.

Employment termination

Termination process

Ugandan labor law demands that employees are only terminated for cause, otherwise they are entitled to four weeks’ wages.

Notice period

Ugandan employees are required to a period of advance notice before they can be let go, depending on their tenure with their employer:

  • Less than six months: no advance notice

  • Six months to one year: two weeks notice

  • One to five years: one month’s notice

  • Five to ten years: two months notice

  • 10+ years of employment: three months of notice

Severance pay

Ugandan employment law provides a wide range of situations where an employee would be entitled to severance pay, including:

  • Unfair dismissal from work

  • Termination due to physical incapacity that wasn’t caused by an employee’s misconduct

  • Termination due to the death or insolvency of the employer

  • Termination by a labor officer, due to the inability or refusal of the employer to pay any wages due

Probation periods

Limited to six months, although it can be extended for another six months with an employee’s consent.