Uganda's draft electronic laws have been approved by Cabinet and are set to be debated before they are passed into law by Parliament.

The Ministry of ICT hopes to enact the draft laws -- the Computer Misuse Bill, Electronic Signatures Bill and Electronic Transactions Bill -- during this financial year, according to ICT Minister Ham Mukasa Mulira.

The purpose of the legislation is to regulate the ICT sector so as to create a level ground and conducive environment for doing business electronically. It will regulate online purchases, mass marketing, financial transactions, online information, entertainment and government services.

The three draft bills were developed by the Uganda Law Reform Commission and harmonized by the ministries of finance, justice and ICT. They were then submitted in January to Cabinet, which prioritized and passed the bills last month.

The five member-states of the East African Community (EAC) are also coordinating efforts to harmonize and pass cybercrime laws that would be effective across Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The harmonization is aimed at strengthening regional integration and supporting the implementation of the e-government program initiated by the EAC secretariat in 2005.

A common information security policy on cybercrime formulated by East African countries will serve as a foundation for the new laws, allowing member countries to prosecute cyber criminals regardless of where the crime is perpetrated in the EAC region.

The final harmonized legal framework was to be considered by the EAC task force in September in Burundi and adopted by the relevant organs of the EAC by November, but the program is behind schedule.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.