Maternity and Work
Maternity Leave
Female employees are entitled to 60 working days (eight and a half weeks) of fully paid maternity leave. The compulsory leave is four weeks after childbirth or miscarriage. The worker must give a written notice of at least 7 days (or even a shorter period under certain circumstances) prior to proceeding on maternity leave on a specific date and to return to work thereafter. A worker may also have to provide a certificate of her medical condition from a qualified medical practitioner or midwife, if required by the employer.
Maternity leave may be extended in case of sickness arising out of pregnancy or confinement, affecting either the mother or the baby, and making the mother's return to work inadvisable. The right to return is available to the worker within eight weeks after the date of childbirth or miscarriage (thus adding 4 more weeks of maternity leave).
Source: §55 of the Employment Act 2006, last amended in 2023
Income
The maternity leave is granted with full pay (without any deductions). The employer must pay full wages to every female employee whilst she is absent from work because of maternity leave.
Source: §55 of the Employment Act 2006, last amended in 2023; ISSA Country Profile for Uganda
Pregnancy Testing / Inquiry in Recruitment
There is no provision regarding Pregnancy testing/inquiry during Recruitment.
Free Medical Care
No provisions could be located about the free medical care that has to be provided by the employer.
Regulations on Maternity and Work
- The Employment Act, 2006
