Title: Navigating Foreign Influence: Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Safeguarding Uganda's Sovereignty in a Globalized Era
Authors: Dr. Arinaitwe Julius
Dr. Mategeko Betty
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
Pages: 218-226
Publication Date: 2026/06/28
Abstract:
This study examined the legal and institutional frameworks governing foreign influence in Uganda, with a focus on their capacity to safeguard national sovereignty within the context of accelerating globalization. Uganda, like many developing nations, has found itself increasingly exposed to diverse vectors of foreign influence including foreign direct investment, bilateral aid conditionalities, multinational corporate activities, foreign-funded civil society organizations, and geopolitical pressure from bilateral and multilateral partners. The central inquiry of this study was whether Uganda's existing legal architecture and institutional mechanisms are sufficiently robust to detect, regulate, and mitigate these influences while simultaneously preserving the state's autonomy in domestic governance. Using a mixed-methods research design, data were collected from 320 key informants drawn from government ministries, civil society organizations, the judiciary, Parliament, the private sector, and academic institutions. Quantitative data were analyzed using univariate descriptive statistics, bivariate Pearson correlation analysis, and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), while qualitative data were processed through thematic analysis. Findings revealed that Uganda's Institutional Legal Capacity (ILC), Policy Enforcement Effectiveness (PEE), Regulatory Framework Strength (RFS), and Civil Society Engagement (CSE) all exerted significant positive effects on the Sovereignty Safeguarding Index (SSI), with standardized path coefficients ranging from 0.183 to 0.341. The SEM model demonstrated excellent fit indices (CFI = 0.963; RMSEA = 0.052; TLI = 0.951), confirming the theoretical model's validity. The study concluded that while Uganda has made meaningful legislative and institutional strides, critical implementation gaps, regulatory inconsistencies, and institutional capture risks continue to compromise the country's sovereign resilience. The study recommended strengthening the enforcement capacities of regulatory agencies, enacting a comprehensive Foreign Influence Transparency Act, and deepening the role of civil society in sovereign protection governance.