Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 passed by Parliament
In brief
Parliament passed the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 (Bill No. 13 of 2026) on 5 May 2026, regulating agents of foreign entities.
What changed
Parliament passed the Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 (Bill No. 13 of 2026) on 5 May 2026. The Bill regulates persons who act as agents of foreign entities to influence policy, elections or national security, and — as amended in committee — replaces a blanket ministerial-approval requirement for foreign funding with a declaration regime. As at this update it had been passed by Parliament but had not yet received presidential assent or been published as an Act, so it is not yet in force.
What it affects
- Civil-society organisations, NGOs and others receiving foreign funding or acting in coordination with foreign entities — the new declaration regime would sit alongside NGO Bureau registration.
- Re-flag for review once assented: the NGO registration note and checklist, and the Register an NGO toolkit, to add the declaration obligations.
- The exact short title, Act number, assent date and commencement are not yet confirmed and must be verified against the Gazette before this page asserts the Bill is law.
Effective date & transition
Effective date: Not yet in force — passed by Parliament 5 May 2026; awaiting presidential assent and Gazette publication (to be confirmed).
Because the Bill was not yet an Act as at this update, no commencement or transitional provisions are stated here. Treat the scope summary as provisional pending the assented text.
Primary sources
Citations
- Protection of Sovereignty Bill, 2026 (Bill No. 13 of 2026) — gazetted 13 April 2026; passed by Parliament 5 May 2026 (assent and Act number to be confirmed).