The Expert mission to Uganda, in the frame of CoE project P 60, took place in Kampala from 2 to 5 July 2018. The twenty-one staff (five were women) from the main stakeholders including President’s Office, Ministry of Defense, Atomic Energy Council, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, National Customs Authority, and the Data Expert Solution (DES) participated in the meetings. Three experts of the Consortium (ENCO, SCK-CEN, and STUK) implemented the mission.
The objectives were to collect information and assess the status in areas of interest for the CoE project P 60. The scope of the discussions included legal and regulatory framework, activities using radioactive sources in Uganda, authorization process, inspection and enforcement, import/export of radioactive sources, radiological emergency preparedness and response, interim radioactive source storage facility, control of scrap metal companies, etc. Also discussed were training on going activities and future needs, international cooperation, national coordination related with safety and security of radioactive sources, specific nuclear security activities with the IAEA, current developments on different topics, etc.
The Atomic Energy Council is the regulatory authority responsible for preparing the regulation. Drafting of several of those is ongoing. The legal texts and some standard operating procedures that are currently available were shared and assistance in review of some of them in the frame of the Project P 60 was requested. The need to integrate nuclear security requirements in the authorization process was identified. However, a graded approach is already applied for the authorization and the inspections of radioactive sources. The arrangements and requirements about import/export of radioactive sources, inventory and accountancy and control of radioactive material were also discussed and the support needed for improvement will be elaborated.
The National Committee for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) is currently reviewing the advanced version of the national EPR plan and related standard operating procedures. Available radiation detection equipment in different organizations and the need for new RN equipment to enhance nuclear security were discussed. The strategy for regaining control over orphan sources has been elaborated and an action plan has been established to resolve the identified issues.
The ENCO experts visited the new interim storage facility for disused and orphan radioactive sources and assessed applied security measures.
Uganda has active international cooperation with the IAEA and other countries (USA, China, Tanzania, DRC, Kenya and Zimbabwe). Significant efforts have been made to improve the national cooperation between the Atomic Energy Council and other national stakeholders, including the drafting of the Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) between these entities.