Kampala: The Uganda Tourism Association (UTA) has dissociated itself from a purported Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) being circulated in its name saying the Board knows of no duly convened meeting organized under its authority.
In a press release issued today, the Board informed members, stakeholders and the public that it had not authorized any such gathering.
It advised members to seek official communication from the recognized UTA leadership before acting on any notices.
The Association said it remains committed to upholding its Constitution, the law and the Minister’s guidance on governance regularisation.
It urged all stakeholders to respect established institutional processes as it works to strengthen unity, accountability and good governance in the tourism sector.
The clarification follows a September 4 letter from Tourism Minister Tom R. Butime advising UTA to defer its forthcoming Governing Council elections until governance and institutional regularisation is complete.
The Minister said some member associations may not have held Annual General Meetings or elections as their constitutions require and that raises questions about the validity of their office bearers’ mandates and the legitimacy of the people they nominate to UTA processes.
He wrote that holding elections before resolving this, he warned, could expose the apex body to leadership disputes and instability.
He also noted UTA’s progress under its current leadership, including the Strategic Plan launched in February 2026 and renewed engagement with partners such as the European Union, Enabel, UNDP and the International Trade Centre.
He cited Section 18 of the Uganda Tourism Act, 2008 which gives the Ministry responsibility for supervising and coordinating the sector.
During the transition, Minister Butime asked UTA, in consultation with its members to verify the legal and membership status of all eligible member associations.
He also wants UTA to establish each association’s governance and electoral status, including dates of its last AGM and elections.
He also requires associations with expired mandates or non-compliant structures to regularise, including by holding constitutionally compliant AGMs and elections.
He further wants UTA to verify the mandates of delegates nominated to UTA processes, complete the review of UTA’s constitutional framework and strengthen corporate governance and accountability.
He also asked for harmonisation the electoral cycles of member associations,develop a transparent electoral framework and a verified register of eligible members and delegates and ensuring continuity of the Strategic Plan and ongoing partnerships.
He also asked UTA to prepare a time-bound roadmap to credible elections and to avoid a leadership vacuum, he advised UTA to use its Constitution to keep the existing leadership in a transitional or caretaker capacity with membership approval where required.
Minister Butime stressed that the deferment does not suspend UTA’s democratic processes indefinitely or give the current leadership an indefinite mandate.
UTA was also directed to submit a comprehensive regularisation roadmap to the Ministry within 30 days of the letter.
