I categorically oppose the UPDF Amendment Bill 2025.
This bill is not about safeguarding Uganda’s security. It is about consolidating military control over civilian life—deepening repression, weakening democratic institutions, and insulating power from public accountability.
Let me issue this warning clearly and without hesitation:
Those pushing this bill—starting with General Museveni and his son General Muhoozi—must understand that the very tools of oppression they are engineering today can and will be used against them tomorrow.
History speaks with thunder.
Saddam Hussein built an iron-fisted regime through military law and unchecked repression. He silenced critics, tortured opponents, and ruled through fear. But in the end, he was sentenced to death by the very legal system he had constructed—his own laws used against him. No appeal. No mercy. That is the nature of absolute power: it devours its makers.
Here in Uganda, we’ve seen it too.
Rt. Hon. Amama Mbabazi, a respected former Prime Minister, once supported the Public Order Management Act, believing it would bring order. But when he dared to seek the presidency, that very law was used to break up his rallies, persecute his supporters, and silence his campaign.
We must also remember:
The Anti-Terrorism Act—now weaponized against opposition voices and journalists.
The Computer Misuse Act—routinely used to arrest critics for merely speaking out.
The NGO Act—used to shut down civic organizations that demand transparency.
To those in the ruling party who think this bill is about loyalty or stability, hear this:
When you vote to arm the state against its people, you are building a prison whose door may one day close behind you.
Uganda needs a professional army—not a political force.
I stand against militarism. I stand for constitutionalism.
I stand with the people of Uganda.
Francis Katabaazi Katongole is the
MP for Kalungu East
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