LUWERO, May 21, 2025 – President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has for passing the highly controversial Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) Amendment Bill, 2025, a move critics say could tighten the military’s grip on justice and muzzle dissent.
Speaking during his ongoing wealth creation tour in Greater Luwero, Museveni did not mince words as he applauded legislators for “saving the country from institutional collision” by reinforcing military courts’ authority—extending their reach to civilians under specific conditions.
“I want to congratulate Members of Parliament for passing the UPDF Amendment Bill,” Museveni declared while addressing a leaders’ meeting at Timnah Nursery and Primary School in Mabaale village. “There was going to be a serious problem. Some were suggesting that soldiers who commit crimes like murder or rape should be tried in civilian courts. That’s unacceptable. Military discipline must be handled within military structures.”
The Bill, passed on May 20, 2025, expands the scope of court martial jurisdiction to include civilians in cases such as unlawful possession of military equipment or collaborating with soldiers in serious crimes. Supporters argue this will bolster national security. However, opposition voices and human rights groups have raised red flags, warning that the law could be weaponized against political activists, journalists, and government critics.
Museveni, however, framed the legislation as a cornerstone of his legacy of “clean politics and peace” since taking power in 1986. “When we came from the bush, we said anyone who uses a gun to commit a crime—whether soldier or civilian—will be tried by the army courts,” he said. “That firm stance has given us the peace we enjoy today.”
The President took aim at what he termed as creeping “indiscipline and subversion,” hinting at political actors who exploit the law to shield themselves from accountability. “Some people have to repent,” he warned, without naming names.
The remarks came as Museveni continued his tour under the theme “Securing Your Future Through Wealth Creation,” touting the Parish Development Model (PDM) as a game-changer in rural economic transformation. Yet his strong endorsement of the Bill has shifted attention back to the regime’s growing reliance on the military as both a political and judicial force.
Opposition MPs and civil society leaders have described the Bill as a blow to the rule of law. “This is how autocracies entrench themselves—by blurring the line between civilian and military jurisdiction,” one MP remarked on condition of anonymity.
Still, Museveni remained unfazed, linking military control to stability and development. “Look at our neighbors,” he said. “Some have oil, some have minerals, but they don’t have peace. Here, we have 1.8 million refugees because Uganda is safe.”
He further used the platform to defend the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) as a party of unity and progress, anchored in what he calls the four cardinal principles: Patriotism, Pan-Africanism, Social-Economic Transformation, and Democracy.
But while Museveni presented the Bill as a necessary guardrail for discipline and security, its passage has further deepened concerns about the narrowing space for dissent in Uganda’s fragile democracy.
As the nation gears up for another political season, the UPDF Amendment Bill may not just be about law and order—it may well become a litmus test for the future of civil liberties in Uganda.
