EDITOR: President Yoweri Museveni, in his capacity as the commander-in-chief of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), chaired meetings of the UPDF High Command and the Defence Council on Wednesday and Thursday last week.
The meetings were aimed at assessing the country’s security situation and UPDF’s ongoing missions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of South Sudan and Somalia.
In his address, President Museveni called on the UPDF to protect Ugandans and property by preventing intimidation and harassment by some political actors who want to disrupt the upcoming elections.
Using his social media platform, the President briefed the public that his speech to the military focused on the need for peace and stability during the elections. He added: “The NRM advocates for democracy, not mob democracy. We want Ugandans to decide what they want without intimidation.”
President Museveni’s message is timely, considering that some political players in the political opposition had started making careless statements inciting violence ahead of the 2026 general elections. The opposition had hoped to create a violent and tense atmosphere to trigger support for their cause.
Obviously, some actors are a reflection of what happened after the 2020 elections in the United States, where they had hoped that by now, the majority of Ugandans would have resented the ruling NRM, especially its leader, President Museveni.
They had hoped to act in making Ugandans lose faith in the NRM and government by spreading lies, much like the tactics used in the United States, which targeted the administration in the White House at that time.
To their dismay, the administration in the United States that seemed to believe in their lies has been replaced by Donald Trump’s administration. This was a slap in their face because President Trump has brought sanity by ending what he describes as the previous administration’s weaponisation of United States departments.
The political opposition had hoped that with their lack of electoral numbers to remove President Museveni from power, it would be the foreign powers to oust him through sanctions.
By God’s grace, some factors which have since taken centre stage in Europe have caused a shift in Europe’s perception of Africa and Uganda in particular. This is indeed a big blow to our political opposition. No wonder, they are now resorting to desperate attempts of intimidation and hooliganism.
Their false hope is that NRM supporters and members will be scared into submission. He said then, that:
“There is no threat we [the UPDF] cannot defeat. We have simple and complex means to defeat the threats. There is no part of this country we cannot reach, either by air, water or land, to ensure peace for all Ugandans. The UPDF is not only capable of keeping the peace, but it is our duty to keep the peace.”
He added: “It is incumbent on every citizen to be strong and refuse to be used by selfish politicians who deal with whoever wants to disrupt the elections.”
So, those who are sounding violence drums should be alive to the fact that the UPDF will not be soft on anyone who wants to disrupt the elections. Let our youth avoid being lured into election violence by selfish politicians. Let the youth say an emphatic no to election violence and hooliganism.
The writer is a senior presidential adviser, political affairs, Office of the National Chairperson/National coordinator Bazzukulu.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative anews platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp for realtime updates.
