Kampala, Uganda: Human rights advocate Dr. Dennis Daniel Ssemugenyi has petitioned the Constitutional Court of Uganda seeking to strike down the recently assented-to UPDF (Amendment) Act, 2025, which he says threatens civilian freedoms and violates the Constitution.
In a petition filed on Friday, June 20, 2025, Dr. Ssemugenyi argues that the law, signed by President Yoweri Museveni, grants military courts unlawful jurisdiction over civilians, undermines judicial independence, and was passed by a Parliament whose composition he says breaches constitutional representation thresholds.
“The UPDF (Amendment) Act is void ab initio, invalid from the beginning, for violating core constitutional protections,” Dr. Ssemugenyi stated in a press release.
The contested law, according to Ssemugenyi, allows civilians to be tried in military courts, an infringement on Articles 28(1) and 44(c) of the Constitution, which guarantee fair hearings in independent civilian courts and prohibit derogation from this right under any circumstances.
To this, he cites Articles 119, 120, 126, and 128, warning that the newly amended UPDF Act undermines prosecutorial autonomy and judicial independence by extending military reach into the civilian legal space.
“Even with presidential assent, a law that contradicts the Constitution is still subject to judicial review. Constitutional supremacy cannot be set aside by political convenience,” Dr. Ssemugenyi added.
Unequal Constituencies Raise Alarm
In addition to objecting to military trials for civilians, the petition raises concerns about how the Act was passed. It questions the legitimacy of the current Parliament, citing severe population disparities among constituencies, some with fewer than 59,000 constituents, others with more than 150,000, far outside the 15% allowable deviation under Article 63(3).
“The current constituency structure creates an artificial ruling party supermajority that facilitates the passage of contested laws, even when such laws lack broad national support,” the petition reads.
Dr. Ssemugenyi argues that Uganda’s electoral system has been gerrymandered, with disproportionate representation disenfranchising large population blocs, particularly in urban and opposition-leaning areas.
The petitioner therefore implores the Constitutional Court to; declare the UPDF (Amendment) Act, 2025 unconstitutional and void, reaffirm and uphold the January 31st Supreme Court ruling that decided that military courts have no jurisdiction over civilians.
He also wants the court to recognise that Uganda’s current electoral constituency boundaries violate equal representation provisions and recommend legislative reforms that restore civilian rule and democratic accountability.
“This is not a protest but a patriotic duty to defend the Constitution,” Dr. Ssemugenyi said, emphasizing, “We must ensure that law, liberty, and leadership walk hand in hand.”
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
