Since 1999, the Uganda Action for Nutrition rebranded as the The Nutrition Society of Uganda (NSU) in 2018 has been at the forefront of efforts to advance nutrition as both a profession and a critical pillar of national development. Through strategic stakeholder engagements, advocacy, collaboration, and capacity-building initiatives, NSU with partners has worked to elevate the role of nutrition in Uganda’s health and development agenda.
While significant progress has been made, much remains to be done. In line with its ongoing commitment, NSU with support from Right2Grow recently organized a technical roundtable meeting to review the draft Food and Nutrition Bill, an important step toward establishing a legal framework for the nutrition sector.
Initially introduced in 2009 but never passed, the Food and Nutrition Bill was reintroduced in 2024. On 24th September, Hon. Milton Muwuma, the mover of the Private Member’s Bill, was granted leave by the Parliament of Uganda to carry out stakeholder consultations. These consultations have since taken place at various levels, including regional engagements.
Recognizing the need for deeper technical scrutiny, NSU, with support from Right2Grow_Uganda, convened a clause-by-clause review of the draft bill. Guided by the Parliamentary legal team and technical nutrition experts, this review ensured that the proposed amendments were legally sound and aligned with national nutrition priorities. The outcome was a strengthened, more coherent bill which we believe has greater potential for timely passage and effective implementation.
Efforts to advocate for the bill’s adoption do continue, plus seeing it enacted into law and operationalized to improve nutrition outcomes across Uganda.
