National Unity Platform (NUP) president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, has condemned the proposed UPDF Amendment Bill set for parliamentary debate this week, accusing the government of trying to restore unconstitutional military trials for civilians.
Kyagulanyi raised alarm over provisions in the bill that he claims would allow the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) to try civilians in military courts under ordinary circumstances a practice recently deemed unconstitutional by Uganda’s Supreme Court.
“The criminal regime is hell-bent on passing the UPDF Amendment Act… Museveni wants to take civilians back to military courts, a tool he has used for years to persecute those who oppose his regime,” Kyagulanyi said in a statement released Sunday.
He accused the government of deliberately rushing the legislation without public consultation and alleged that Members of Parliament had been bribed with Shs100 million each to support the bill.
“That is why they’re trying to rush it. Because they know it is immoral, illegal, and illegitimate,” he said.
Kyagulanyi cited past incidents including his own 2018 arrest in Arua and the 2020 Kalangala campaign detentions as examples of how military courts have been misused to detain opposition figures and suppress dissent.
“They planted military pips at the home of comrade Achileo Kivumbi and took him to the military court,” he added.
Under international legal standards, civilians may only be tried in military courts in exceptional cases such as during wartime or when civilian courts are unavailable—conditions Kyagulanyi says are not applicable in Uganda’s case.
The opposition leader warned MPs of personal risk if the bill is passed, saying, “If you disagree with Museveni or those close to him… they will easily come and plant anything on you and take you to the military court.”
Calling for nationwide resistance, Kyagulanyi urged Ugandans to protest the bill and any attempts to “undermine civil liberties under the guise of national security.”
“This is yet another reason to fight and protest against criminality. The day we the people of Uganda rise up and say ENOUGH, it will be game over for the cabal,” he concluded.
The UPDF Amendment Bill is scheduled for debate in Parliament on Tuesday, May 21. Government officials have not yet formally responded to the accusations.
