Museveni: Why should UPDF and JATT be deployed in elections?
President Museveni. Right are some of the security operatives on patrol in Kampala during the campaigns ahead of the Kawempe North parliamentary by-election. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
What you need to know:
- Uganda’s Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces has acknowledged concerns about JATT's heavy-handed tactics but maintained that security forces were acting to prevent chaos.
President Museveni has defended the deployment of military forces, including the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Joint Anti-Terrorism Taskforce (JATT), in handling election security and public order, arguing that opposition groups are responsible for inciting unrest.
His remarks follow the disputed Kawempe North by-election, marred by allegations of voter intimidation, ballot tampering, and violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters.
Over a dozen journalists covering the election were reportedly harassed or assaulted by armed security officers, with several still recovering from severe injuries in hospitals around Kampala.
The election, held Thursday in Kampala, saw opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate Elias Luyimbaazi Nalukoola declared the winner with 17,764 votes, defeating the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate Faridah Nambi (8,593 votes), along with eight other candidates.
However, the NRM has “totally rejected” the results, citing electoral malpractice and calling for a legal challenge.
National Resistance Movement (NRM) party leader, President Museveni (R), poses for a photo with its flagbearer in the Kawempe North by-election, Faridah Nambi, during the final campaign day in Kampala on March 11, 2025. PHOTO/HANDOUT
Speaking on Sunday, Museveni condemned what he described as “deliberate disruptions” at polling stations, including the destruction of ballot boxes in areas such as Kazo-Angola and Mbogo Mosque Zone.
“The heavy deployment of security forces may have stopped mass violence, but it could not prevent the micro-crimes that should have been managed by election officials,” Museveni said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
“To think that you can commit such crimes against the law and the people when the NRM is in charge of the country is the highest form of shallowness. We shall hold everybody responsible accountable,” he added.
Security forces under scrutiny
Museveni defended the role of the military in maintaining stability, arguing that Uganda’s security forces are crucial in countering broader regional threats, including armed insurgencies.
“Uganda is like an island of peace in the region. Why? Because of the UPDF. They have enough work fighting ADF, cattle rustlers in Karamoja, and terrorist groups like Al-Shabaab,” Museveni said.
“But instead of focusing on national security threats, our soldiers are diverted to handle the indiscipline of some opposition groups,” he added.
This photo of the January 4, 2021 Daily Monitor newspaper shows faces of the people that were ruthlessly killed during deadly clashes between civilians and security forces in Kampala during an electoral season.
Referencing past civil unrest, Museveni cited the 2009 Kabaka riots and the deadly November 2020 protests—where security forces killed at least 54 demonstrators after the arrest of opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine.
“I deployed the commandos on November 20th, and they crushed the insurrection,” Museveni said.
“Who organized the panga groups in Masaka? Who destroyed ballot boxes from 50 polling stations out of 197 in Kawempe North?” he added.
Opposition condemns security crackdown
The use of the military in Uganda’s electoral processes has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations and opposition leaders, who argue it undermines democracy and stifles dissent.
Chaos in Kawempe North: A police officer carries an injured man after security forces fired bullets and tear gas to disperse NUP supporters in Kanyanya, Kampala on March 11, 2025. PHOTO/ABUBAKER LUBOWA
Journalists covering the Kawempe North by-election reported cases of intimidation and arrests targeting opposition bases.
ALSO READ: How security planned attacks on journalists
Museveni acknowledged concerns about heavy-handed tactics but maintained that security forces were acting to prevent chaos.
“The mistakes the soldiers may do could be on account of preparing for those non-lethal roles,” he said.
He also accused opposition supporters of intimidating NRM voters and vowed to crack down on what he called the “disenfranchisement of the Ugandan people.”
What next?
The NRM, led by Museveni, has vowed to contest the election results in court, potentially prolonging Uganda’s latest electoral dispute.
“I am writing to inform you that an electoral and criminal investigation has started in the Kawempe North by-election,” Museveni emphasized.
The controversy comes with less than a year to go before the country’s next general elections, where tensions between the ruling party and opposition forces are feared to escalate.
President Museveni (centre, in hat) Prime Minister Robbinah Nabajja (on the left of Mr Museveni) and other NRM party officials with a group of people who purportedly crossed from the Opposition NUP party to NRM during the final campaign rally for NRM candidate Faridah Nambi at Kawempe Mbogo on March 11, 2025. PHOTO/GEOFREYMUTUMBA
