A coalition of major East African legal bodies and civil society organisations has accused the Ugandan government of undermining the rule of law through arbitrary detention of opposition figures, lawyers and activists; disruption of media houses, military interference in civilian affairs, and failure to uphold constitutional protections and international human rights obligations.
The coalition, comprising the East Africa Law Society (EALS), Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU), International Commission of Jurists (ICJ Kenya), Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), and East Africa Civil Society Organisations Forum (EACSOF), stated this in response to what it called continuing constitutional and statutory violations in Uganda.
“Taken cumulatively, these developments implicate the foundational pillars of constitutional governance: personal liberty, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and the independence of the legal profession. They present a continuing situation requiring urgent cessation by responsible Ugandan authorities,” they said.
They cited in particular the detention and uncertain legal status of Dr Miria Matembe, senior legal practitioner and former Minister of Ethics and Integrity, alongside earlier reported abduction incidents involving Dr Sarah Bireete, Eunice Musiime and others, in addition to the persecution of senior advocate and former mayor of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, whose circumstances continue to emerge.
“Taken together, these reports indicate a widening pattern of concern regarding executive overreach, respect for personal liberty, transparency of detention, judicial independence and compliance with due process guarantees,” they added.
They added that the ongoing disruption of operations at Nation Media Group Uganda, including NTV Uganda, Spark TV, and The Daily Monitor, accompanied by reports of the suspension of broadcasting and security deployments at media premises, constitutes actions that directly offend the constitutional guarantee of press freedom.
The move, they noted, lacked a publicly disclosed directive or order from the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) authorising such actions on closure; as such, the military has been in clear usurpation of powers.
“The question that now beckons is whether Uganda is a democracy or has since transformed into a military state, governed by a military junta. Under the Uganda Communications Act, 2013, the regulatory authority over broadcasting is vested exclusively in the UCC. Any interference with licensed media operations must therefore satisfy strict requirements of legality, necessity in a democratic society, proportionality, procedural fairness, and independent oversight. Any action outside this statutory framework raises serious prima facie concerns of ultra vires conduct, administrative irregularity, and incompatibility with Articles 2(1) and 29 of the Constitution of Uganda,” the coalition reiterated.
At the same time, the coalition raised concern over what it described as increasing military involvement in civilian governance, saying statements and interventions by senior military leaders, including the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Muhoozi Kainerugaba, risk undermining constitutional order.
It argued that the military's role is limited to national defence and should not extend to regulating the media or directing the arrest of lawyers, warning that such actions blur the constitutional separation between military and civilian authority.
“We note with serious concern a recurring pattern of public statements, random tweets on X and reported interventions attributed to senior military leadership, including the Chief of Defence Forces, in matters within the exclusive competence of civilian institutions and statutory regulators. Across Uganda, these developments have generated growing concern that the constitutional boundary between civilian authority and military command risks being blurred in practice,” they noted.
The coalition reiterated that Uganda is bound by regional and international legal instruments, including the East African Community Treaty, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and the UN Convention Against Torture, which require governments to uphold the rule of law, protect journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders, ensure judicial oversight of detentions, and maintain the independence of regulatory institutions.
“These instruments collectively require: legality and accountability of all state action, prompt judicial oversight of detention, protection of journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders, institutional independence of regulatory bodies and effective remedies and accountability,” they said.
They stressed that the arbitrary detentions, disruption of media operations and alleged military interference in civilian affairs point to a pattern of constitutional and legal non-compliance and called on the Ugandan government to disclose the status of all detainees, restore affected media houses, reaffirm civilian oversight and the authority of the UCC, halt unlawful interference by security agencies, and launch independent investigations into the alleged rights violations.
“While we do not adjudicate facts, determine liability, or pronounce guilt in respect of any matter referenced in this Statement, it is within our mandate to identify and articulate prima facie constitutional and legal concerns arising within the framework of our national, regional and international obligations. In this regard, we reaffirm a fundamental principle of constitutional governance: No public authority, including security institutions, regulatory bodies, or administrative actors, may exercise coercive, regulatory, or enforcement powers except under clear and express authority of the Constitution or written law,” they said.
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