international standards and codes adopted by the country are to be
incorporated into the national legal and regulatory framework.
2.3.2 The revision of several commercial laws and their enactment has been
fast-tracked. Several amendments have been proposed to the
Accountants‟ Act. These amendments will enable the Institute of
Certified Public Accountants of Uganda (ICPAU), whose members and
associates are recognised under the Companies Act Cap 86 as the sole
auditors of company accounts, to become more effective in overseeing
the accountancy profession and enforcing the requirements of
professional discipline among all its members.
2.3.3 Relevant Bills necessary for establishing an effective legal, policy and
regulatory, as well as supervisory framework for Tier 4 Micro Finance
non-deposit taking Institutions such as SACCOs have been drafted.
Regulations regarding the supervision of Tier 3 Micro Finance deposittaking institutions are considered adequate.
2.3.4 Government has put in place various forms of incentives for
encouraging regulated financial institutions to offer banking services to
rural areas. A policy and legal framework for regulating the activities of
Micro-finance institutions has been developed, and includes: The
SACCOs Bill and the Micro-credit Bill. Resources have also been
provided in the budget for supporting the formation of at least one
SACCO in every sub-county and strengthening existing ones to provide
training and other technical support. The Rural Financial Services
Programme (RFSP) was redesigned to support SACCOs. The Uganda
Cooperative Savings and Credit Union (UCSCU) supported the
formation of 140 SACCOs and the development of 401 SACCOs in 541
sub-counties countrywide.
2.3.5 Progress has also been made towards the creation of an enabling
environment for the stock exchange to flourish. The Capital Markets
Authority (CMA) has played a lead role in reviewing the CMA Act (Cap
84) to take into account developments since its enactment and to bring
the legislation in line with international best practices. The revisions to
the Act will make CMA compliant with the core principles of Securities
Regulation prescribed by the International Organisation of Securities
Commissions (IOSCO), a body that sets the international standards for