SOURCE: Vacation Tracker TITLE: Uganda Leave Laws & Holidays URL: https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws/africa/uganda/ LANG: en PUBLISHED: 2022-10-10 UPDATED: 2022-10-10 SUMMARY: Uganda Leave Laws - Paid Time Off, Annual Leave, Vacation, Sick Leave, Maternity Leave, Paternity, Bereavement Leave, and Holidays # Uganda Leave Laws & Holidays Last updated on August 20, 2026. ## Paid Time Off (PTO) in Uganda ### Vacation (Annual Leave) Quota 21 days Employees and workers in Uganda receive 21 days of paid vacation every year. They accrue vacation days at a standard rate of 7 days for every four months of continuous employment. Collective agreements mandate that employees accrue at least one day of paid vacation for every 17 days they work or any days that they receive compensation. It’s also possible for collective bargaining agreements to provide provisions for more vacation days. ### Eligibility Employees, according to Uganda leave laws, become eligible for vacation leave after working continuously for 6 months in the company. Along with this condition, they must have worked a specified minimum number of hours per week - 16 or more hours. Employees get a full 21 days of vacation leave (accruing 7 days per 4-month period) after 12 months of continuous employment. ### Scheduling a Vacation Vacation days are given when the employee makes a leave request. Days of vacation may be taken at any point within the calendar year, keeping in mind any pre-arranged agreements with their employer. This means that the dates for taking leave must be mutually agreed upon by both parties. Also, employers are not allowed to force employees to go on leave. ### Carry Over If an employee doesn’t request their vacation time within the year it’s earned, they might lose those days. However, the employer can also choose to move the employee’s leave to the following year instead. In this case, employees can carry over their unused paid vacation days to the following year and even the year after that, for a maximum of two years in total. However, any vacation days not taken within these two years will be forever lost. ### Cashing Out Employees may not exchange their vacation days for cash. They are required to take their vacation leave, for which they are entitled. ### PTO Payout at the Termination If an employee’s job ends, he or she must be paid for all vacation days they haven’t taken. This payment is based on how long they’ve worked and how many days they’ve accrued up to that point. ## Sick Leave in Uganda Up to 6 months per year (2026 Updated) The law requires employers to provide employees with job-protected leave in case of illness, injury, or any other incapacity to work due to health issues. Employees can take up to six months of sick leave in a single year. ###### Eligibility If an employee works at least 16 hours per week, they can request paid sick leave after one continuous month on the job. ###### Duration of Paid Sick Leave 2026 UPDATE If an employee can’t work due to illness or injury, they’ll receive their full pay during the first two months they are sick. During this period, the employee and their family will also continue to receive any other benefits that are outlined in the contract of employment. The following 4 months of leave are half-paid. (This is a change due to Employment (Amendment) Act, 2026 which caused the enhancement of sick pay. Before this Act, first month of sick leave was fully paid, and second unpaid.) ###### Job Protection An employer is not allowed to fire an employee within their first 6 months of being sick or because they have a disability. If an employee remains on sick leave from work after this 6th month, the employer is permitted by Ugandan leave laws to dismiss such an employee from work, provided they honor all contractual obligations up to the date of termination. ###### Notifying the Employer To be excused from work and have an authorized sick leave, employees should tell their employer about the cause for their absence as soon as possible. The employer has the right to demand a medical certificate from a qualified doctor stating that an employee is not able to work and how long the anticipated period of rest could last. ###### Payout This sick leave in Uganda is reimbursed fully by the employer. First 2 months: Employees receive 100% of their regular salary. Following 4 months: Employees receive 50% of their regular salary. ## Maternity and Paternity Leave ### Maternity Leave in Uganda At least 60 working days of fully paid leave. Expectant mothers who work in Uganda are entitled to 60 working days of fully paid maternity leave. Pay attention to the fact that it is 60 working days, not calendar days. This means that the maternity leave is actually 10 to 12 weeks long, approximately; this depends on the number of regular working days per week. ###### Prenatal and Postnatal Leave Uganda leave laws state that an employee must take at least 4 full weeks of leave (28 days) after the birth of a baby (postnatal). This leave is compulsory. The rest of the maternity leave days can be split into two separate periods, before and after the childbirth. ###### Additional Maternity Leave The duration of maternity leave may be extended by up to four full additional weeks (which is 20 working days) if the expectant mother experiences illness or complications related to childbirth or pregnancy. ###### Leave Notice Requirements Employees must give their employer written notice at least seven days’ prior to the start of their desired leave. They also need to provide at least seven days’ written notice before they plan to return to work after their leave. ###### Protection During Work for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Employees Pregnant and breastfeeding employees are protected from any kind of work that could be harmful to their or their baby’s health. ###### Job Protection Uganda leave laws prevent an employer from dismissing employees during their initial two months of leave due to pregnancy. ###### Payout Paid by the employer. Employees receive full salary while on maternity leave. ### Paternity Leave in Uganda 4 days An employee in Uganda who becomes a father is allowed by law to take 4 days of paid paternity leave, which must be taken immediately after the birth of a child. Payout Paternity leave, same as maternity leave, is paid by the employer. An employee continues to receive a full salary while on paternity leave. ## Bereavement Leave in Uganda Up to 6 days Bereavement leave is not specified by law. However, employees in Uganda are typically allowed 3 to 6 days of paid bereavement leave per year (in some cases, up to 14 days) due to the demise of a close family member. In certain cases, an employee may take short paid leave to provide care for a family member who is seriously ill. ## Jury Duty Leave in Uganda Jury duty leave is not specified by law; courts don’t have juries. So-called assessors assist in trials, but leave for it is not specified in labor law. ## Military Leave in Uganda Military leave (https://vacationtracker.io/glossary/military-leave/) is not specified by law. Military service is voluntary. ## Voting Leave in Uganda Online data unavailable; check official or offline legal materials. ## Public Holidays in Uganda In Uganda, there’re approximately 14 official public holidays, coming both from Christian and Muslim tradition, as well as historic events. Employees required to perform duties on a public holiday must be compensated at double their regular pay rate, payable within one month of the holiday. Alternatively, they may be granted a substitute day off or an enhanced payment instead of leave. If an employee works only part of a public holiday, the employer must pay a proportional amount of the regular daily pay, corresponding to the number of hours worked. Date Holiday January 1 New Year’s Day January 26 NRM Liberation Day February 16 Archbishop Janani Luwum Day March 8 International Women’s Day Movable : Shawwal 1 (*) Eid al-Fitr (The end of Ramadan) Movable: In spring - 2 days before Easter Sunday (**) Good Friday Movable: In spring (**) Easter May 1 Labour Day Jun 3 Martyrs’ Day Jun 9 National Heroes Day Movable: Dhu al-Hijjah 10 (*) Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) October 9 Independence Day December 25 Christmas December 26 Boxing Day (*) - Dates are movable every year according to the Islamic lunar calendar and are approved as the date of the holiday approaches. (**) - The dates of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Easter Monday vary each year according to the Christian Church calendar. ## Sources - Local Laws & Regulations, https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/uganda (https://www.atlashxm.com/en/countries/uganda) - Payroll and Benefits Guide Uganda, https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/uganda/ (https://www.papayaglobal.com/countrypedia/country/uganda/) - Definitive Guide to Hiring in Uganda, https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/Uganda (https://www.globalexpansion.com/countrypedia/Uganda) - Uganda: Laws of Uganda - Employment Act 1977 (Ch 219), https://osall.org.za/docs/2011/03/Uganda-Employment-Act-1977-Ch-219.pdf (https://osall.org.za/docs/2011/03/Uganda-Employment-Act-1977-Ch-219.pdf) - Labour Laws of Uganda, https://africapay.org/uganda/labour-laws/ (https://africapay.org/uganda/labour-laws/) - Annual Leave and Holidays, https://africapay.org/uganda/labour-laws/work-time-holiday (https://africapay.org/uganda/labour-laws/work-time-holiday) Check out our Leave Laws page (https://vacationtracker.io/leave-laws) to learn more about laws in various countries.