News from the Association.

The Museums & Monuments Association of Uganda has launched its official website, giving heritage custodians, partners and the public a single place to learn about the Association and its work.

At its heart is a searchable directory of the 303 protected heritage resources declared under Statutory Instrument No. 69 of 2024, from royal tombs and rock art sites to historic buildings, monuments and forts. Custodians can find their site and apply to join as Institutional members, and anyone who knows a custodian can share an invitation on WhatsApp or refer them to the Secretariat.

The website also sets out membership categories and annual fees for the first financial year, and includes a press pack for journalists and partners.

Membership of MMAU is open to all institutions and individuals actively involved or interested in the preservation and management of Uganda's heritage resources.

Under Article 18.5 of the Constitution, the Interim Executive Board has set the initial membership fees for the first financial year. Institutional fees range from UGX 250,000 to UGX 500,000 depending on the size of the site, with Individual Professional membership at UGX 100,000 and Student membership at UGX 30,000.

Applications are made through the website. The Secretariat then shares the formal Membership Application Form and payment details directly with each applicant.

The Constitution of the Museums & Monuments Association of Uganda was registered with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau on 5 December 2025 (Instrument No. 1764940518111). Under Article 18.4, the Constitution came into force on registration.

The Constitution establishes MMAU as a non-profit, non-political and non-sectarian association, and sets out its vision, mission and objectives across policy and advocacy, capacity building, financial sustainability, heritage protection and standards, and digital transformation.

Under Article 18.2, the first Annual General Meeting is to be held within twelve months of the Constitution taking effect.

MMAU's founding members adopted and signed the Constitution on 26 November 2025. Under Article 18.1, the founding members constitute the Interim Executive Committee until the first elective Annual General Meeting.

The Interim Executive Committee is led by Prince Wasajja Kiwanuka as Interim Chairperson, Fredrick Nsibambi as Interim Vice Chairperson, Nahida Bhegani as Founder and Interim General Secretary, and Kigozi Daniel Lubwama as Interim Publicity and Communications Officer.

The Museums and Monuments Act, 2023 replaced the Historical Monuments Act and gave Government new powers over Uganda's museums, monuments and protected heritage. Under section 95 of the Act, the Minister may make regulations to put the law into practice, on the recommendation of the Department of Museums and Monuments.

In 2025 the Department circulated draft Museums and Monuments Regulations, 2025. The draft covers matters that directly affect the people and institutions who look after Uganda's heritage, including the licensing of private and institutional museums, inspections, curatorial and collections standards, the appointment of guardians for museums, monuments and protected areas, excavation, dealers in protected objects, historical buildings and the compulsory acquisition of heritage property.

Many of the sites these rules will govern are owned, managed and funded by cultural institutions, religious bodies, families, communities and private custodians, often without state support. Custodians agreed that they needed a single, organised voice to engage Government while the regulations were being formulated.

The Museums & Monuments Association of Uganda was formed for that purpose. Its Constitution commits MMAU to partnering with the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities in formulating the Rules and Regulations that operationalise the Act, so that they protect the sustainability and interests of custodians and of the sites declared under Statutory Instrument No. 69 of 2024.

Read the Museums and Monuments Act, 2023 (PDF) and the list of protected heritage resources (PDF).

On 20 September 2024, the Museums and Monuments (Declaration of Protected Heritage Resources and Heritage Resources of Significant Value to Uganda) Regulations, 2024 were published in the Uganda Gazette as Statutory Instrument No. 69 of 2024.

The Regulations declare 303 heritage resources as protected: 93 graves and burial grounds, 48 archaeological and palaeontological sites, 132 historical and cultural sites, and 30 monuments and forts.

The custodians of these sites form the core of MMAU's Institutional membership. The full list can be searched on the Protected Sites page.