The government has urged employers and workers to make occupational safety and health a daily priority rather than treating workplace safety as a matter of regulatory compliance.
The call comes ahead of the East African Community Occupational Safety and Health Conference 2026, scheduled for August 27–28 at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The conference will bring together government officials, employers, workers, occupational safety and health professionals, and other stakeholders under the theme, “Building Resilient and Inclusive Workplaces for Formal and Informal Economies.”
The government is expanding its workforce and pursuing rapid economic growth, but it does not yet have a clear national baseline showing the scale of workplace injuries, deaths and occupational diseases
. At the same time, inspections remain relatively low compared with the size of the labour force, much of which works in the informal economy.
Alex Ogwal, Principal General Inspector at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, said occupational safety and health should concern every workplace and not only sectors traditionally associated with high risks such as agriculture, construction and manufacturing. He said safety should also extend to people’s everyday activities at work and ensure that workers return home safely.
Speaking ahead of the conference, Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde said Uganda’s drive towards 10-fold economic growth must be accompanied by stronger protection of the workforce, particularly its growing youthful population.
Tumukunde cited Uganda Bureau of Statistics figures showing that the country’s labour force stood at about 13.43 million people in 2025, saying the number was likely to have increased.
He said workplace injuries and deaths impose significant costs on workers, families, businesses and government, while safe and healthy workplaces improve productivity, profitability and national economic development.
Tumukunde said government has taken steps to strengthen occupational safety and health through workplace registration, inspections and public awareness.
He said workplace inspections increased from fewer than 900 annually in 2020 to more than 1,000 in 2025, while workplace registrations rose from about 500 annually to more than 1,800 last year.
More than 4,000 workers, employers and members of the public were also reached during the last financial year through targeted training, occupational safety and health posters, radio and television programmes and social media campaigns.
The government is also developing a national occupational safety and health profile to establish an official baseline on workplace injuries and accidents in Uganda.
Tumukunde said Uganda amended the Occupational Safety and Health Act in 2025 and is finalising regulations and guidelines to operationalise the amended law.
The Minister said the conference will examine both emerging and traditional workplace safety concerns, including environmental, social and governance issues, regulatory compliance, climate-related risks, psychological wellbeing, mental health, industrial safety and fire prevention.
The International Labour Organization estimates that hundreds of millions of workers globally suffer work-related injuries and illnesses each year, while more than three million people die from work-related causes.
Tumukunde said the regional conference will provide an opportunity for East African countries to share experiences, assess progress and develop practical strategies for improving workplace safety.
He called for stronger collaboration among employers, business leaders, policymakers, workers and occupational safety and health professionals to make safety an integral part of economic development.
The conference is expected to generate recommendations to strengthen Uganda’s occupational safety and health framework and inform future legislative and policy reforms.
Tumukunde said the government would use lessons from the conference to improve laws and regulations and ensure they are practical and applicable to both formal and informal workplaces-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
