Minimum Age for Employment
In accordance with the provisions of the Employment Act, a child under the age of 14 years may not be employed except for light work carried out under the supervision of an adult aged over 18 years and work that does not affect the child’s education. According to the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, a child means a person below the age of 18 years.
Light work is the work which is not harmful to a child’s health; not harmful to a child’s development; not prejudicial to a child’s attendance at school; not prejudicial to a child’s participation in vocational training; and not in excess of 14 hours per week. A list of light activities is contained in the regulations.
Children under 14 years cannot be employed in any business or workplace, except for light work performed under adult supervision and not exceeding 14 hours per week. Light work includes activities such as sewing, serving guests, cleaning (e.g., floors, shoes, clothes, animal areas, toilets), shopping, collecting firewood, gardening, and preparing family meals.
Child labour is defined under the Children (Amendment) Act of 2016 as “work that is mentally, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to a child and the circumstances under which it is performed jeopardizes the health, safety, morals, and education of a child”. The minimum age for employment is set as 16 years.
While The law prohibits the employment of children under the age of 12 in any form of work or workplace. A child aged between 15 and 18 years (who has completed schooling/ not attending school) can work up to 7 hours a day and not more than 35 hours per week.
A child must undergo a medical examination before engaging in any job and then after every six months. Before hiring a child between fifteen to seventeen years, authorization from Commissioner is obligatory. The Commissioner verifies child's age; parental permission; prior instruction and training in the required job; availability and use of protective clothing and a medical certificate before authorisation. Employers must also maintain a register as prescribed in Schedule 5 of the Employment Regulations.
Children’s exploitation is also prohibited under the Children (Amendment) Act 2016 and it is defined as “employment of a child in activities from which other people derive a benefit, whether financial, sexual or political and includes activities such as child trafficking, child prostitution, child pornography and involvement of children in armed conflict.
Under the Education Act, primary education is universal and compulsory for all children starting at the age of six. The full primary education cycle spans seven years, and all children of school-going age are required to enrol in and complete this cycle.
Source: §34(2) of the Constitution of Uganda 1995 amended in 2018; §31 of the Employment Act 2006, last amended in 2023; §2-4 of the Employment Regulations 2012; §8 of the Children (Amendment) Act of 2016, amending the Children Act (Cap 59) 1997; §2, 3, 9 & 14 of the Employment (Employment of Children) Regulations 2012; Prevention of Trafficking In Persons Act 2009; §2 and 10(3)(a) of the Education Act, 2008
Minimum Age for Hazardous Work
The minimum age for hazardous work is 18 years. A child under the age of 18 years may not be employed to do work, which is injurious, dangerous, hazardous, or in the worst forms of child labour. Night and overtime work is prohibited for a child aged between fifteen to seventeen years. Night work means the work between the hours of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
The Regulations contain restrictions on the employment of children, penalties for violations (up to three months imprisonment or a fine or both), and a list of hazardous activities prohibited to children under 18. The list of hazardous activities includes prohibitions by different age groups of tasks in a variety of areas, including several agricultural sectors, construction, mining, domestic services, entertainment and urban informal work. A child aged 15 to 18 who has completed education or is not attending school may work up to 7 hours daily and 35 hours weekly.
Sources: §34(4) of the Constitution of Uganda 1995 amended in 2018; §31 of the Employment Act 2006, last amended in 2023 §5-6, 10-12& Schedule I of the Employment (Employment of Children) Regulations 2012
